


The Maiden of the Moon (Kouga's Side)

by ginnekomiko



Series: Maiden of the Moon Universe [1]
Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-19
Updated: 2017-04-09
Packaged: 2018-02-26 07:04:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 75
Words: 28,129
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2642648
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ginnekomiko/pseuds/ginnekomiko
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU fic focusing on Kouga and the wolf tribe. My own interpretation on how their culture might work. Original characters are added throughout. </p><p>Please note this thing is OLD by my standards. I did the original one-hundred fic claim from 2007-2011. I'm putting it up here, unedited, for prosperity. The remaining non-storyline fics are going into a separate series.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Mother

**Author's Note:**

> This is the massive multi-chapter fic I did for the LJ community iy-no-kakera back in 2007-2008. These are all the story line fics.

 

 

 

He remembered moving, always moving from one place to another. His father would follow beside his mother, grinning all the way, trying to keep the mood up. He had been young then, but he kept up with their steady pace.

They had no clan to follow.

She went to the ancestral graveyard often. For what reason, he never fully knew. She would just disappear night after night and then return with a sad smile on her face. His father never seemed to worry about where she was going or what she was doing. Whenever he asked about his mother, his father would grin and say, “Who knows?”

Only one night she did not come home.

That was the first time he had ever seen his father frown.

She came home the next morning with blood on her fur.

He begged her not to go out again.

“Mama, what if you don’t make it back?”

At this, she smiled and put her hand on his head. She did not say a word.

Day after day, they continued their journey and still, night after night, his mother would disappear.

It continued like that for a long time.

They found a clan of wolves in the mountain range due east. The leader was large, with a stern mouth. He demanded that the boy and his father prove themselves before being admitted into the clan. He couldn’t stand weaklings.

So, they worked to prove their worth.

His father had always been fast and good at tracking prey. It did not take long for him to get recognition. His mother, however, would not look the leader in the eye. When he asked her why, she simply said, “Mama does not like those hateful eyes.”

She continued to leave, even though the journey was much greater now.

One day, the boy asked his father, “Papa, why does Mama always have to leave?”

His father smiled and patted his head. “Mama has to make sure the dead are at peace.”

“How come?” the boy asked.

“Because they are restless. Go to sleep, Kouga.”

Reluctantly, the boy obeyed. He curled up beside the other children and slept.

That night, his mother did not return. He never saw her again.


	2. Father

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another glimpse into Kouga's childhood. This time, what happened to his father.
> 
> Notes: A sort of continuation to to the unknown whereabouts prompt, "Mother."

It was a long while before he asked his father about his mother.  She had been gone for months. The tribe whispered things about her often, sometimes out in the open.

“Hey, dad?” he asked one day as they were walking through the forest. “What’s a witch?”

Ryouga looked at his son.

“It’s nothing.”

“But…” he began.

“What happened with your mother is a complicated affair. It’s not something the clan likes to talk about.”

“Why?” the boy asked.

He shrugged. “I don’t know. Superstitions, maybe?”

“Dad, how did you and Mama meet?”

“Why do you want to know something like that?”

It was the boy's turn to shrug.

“I met her on accident, actually. We were hunting the same deer and we ran into each other. She was real cold to me at first, tried to punch me in the face at the first sight of me, but I dodged well enough. She got away with the deer, though.”

“Mama did that?”

“Your Mama was tough,” his father said with a grin.

“So you’re not worried about her?”

“What are you talking about? Of course I’m worried. I want to see her again, more than anything, but I don’t think that’s possible now.”

“Why not?”

“Well, she’s been gone for a long time now. The elders probably spirited her away. She always did have such a pretty voice. She put her heart into her songs for them.”

The boy remembered how his mother would sing in a calm and soothing, but still powerful voice.

“It’s not fair,” the boy muttered.

“Of course it isn’t, but we both knew it might happen. It was a risk we had to take. I think I made her happy, at least, I hope I did.” His father grinned again. “I know I did one thing right, though.”

“What was that?”

“It’s a secret.”

“Aw, why?”

“You’re young, that’s why.”

“That’s not an answer!” he exclaimed.

Suddenly his father shushed him. The woods had become very quiet.

“Run,” he said softly.

“Dad?”

“Don’t make me tell you twice; gain some ground and hide!” he snapped. “I’ll come and find you, I promise!”

The boy looked back at his father before following his orders. Overhead, a large winged- thing cast an engulfing shadow.

Birds of Paradise.

***

The boy took shelter in some bushes and waited. He attempted to lay perfectly still, trying hard not to breathe too fast. Still, his body could not help but shake.

_He’ll come. He’ll definitely come for me._

“Kouga~!” a voice called.

He jumped out of the bushes.

“Dad!” he called back.

He looked around.  The old men of the tribe. He recognized one of them.

“Robai, what’s going on? Where’s my dad? What happened to my dad?”

Nobody said anything.

The boy took off at a run in the direction he had come from. “Dad~!”

“Stop him!” one of the old men barked.

“Let me go!” he cried as two adults grabbed hold of him. He struggled against their grip, trying not shed tears in front of them.  He failed. “Dad~!”

He wanted to see his father again, more than anything, but not as they had found him.

The boy covered his mouth and tried not to vomit.

“Dad?”

He wasn’t moving. A large wound on his stomach had been torn open. Blood was everywhere. The other adults tried to comfort him, but he knew better. He was alone now.


	3. Aniu (あにう)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another childhood fic.

The boy was adjusting to living life without his parents. Things were much harder now, but the tribe was very helpful in his time of grief. Robai in particular, had become almost like a real grandfather to him. 

Then that old woman with white eyes showed up.

He found her wandering the boarders of their territory one night. It was as if she knew she didn’t belong there. She kept sneaking from place to place.

“Hey!” he called.

The woman stopped sneaking and actually walked up to him.

“You’re Chiyo’s boy, correct?”

Kouga stopped. “How do you know my Mama?”

“That’s not important right now. Where’s your father?” the old woman said. 

He noticed something small clung to the old woman under the long fur cloak she had draped over her shoulders. “What’s that?” he asked as he tried to peek inside it.

“When you last saw your Mama, what did she look like? Was she round?”

Kouga thought for a moment. “Yeah, she was getting a little full looking, but it was different then just being fat. She kept whispering something to herself about the moon. Dad never told me what was going on, though.”

“Why is that?” she asked.

“He, um, he died not that long ago.” No matter how many times he said the words, they were still hard to push out of his mouth.

“So Ryouga’s gone as well. Hmm, that’s problematic. He asked me to take care of her until she was weaned of milk. Since he’s no longer alive, her chances at life are slim. Oh well, to the river you go then, little runt.”

“Wait! You’re going to kill her? Just like that?”

“My killing her now would be an act of mercy.”

“Let me see,” the boy commanded.

“Very well,” the old woman said with a sigh. She pulled the small child from under the safety of her fur. “See? Small, very troublesome to look after.”

“She has my Mama’s eye color.” He remembered them. Her eyes had been a kind of light gray. His father always joking called them “moon eyes.” He had gotten his father’s blue ones.

Wait a second.

 “Is she?” he asked.

“If she were?” the woman answered. “You cannot look after her; you’re nothing but a pup yourself."

“Jeez, what do you know about me? Give her here!” he snapped. “If she is Mama’s and Dad’s other kid, give her to me right now!” 

The old woman shrugged her shoulders. “My, my, such a stubborn boy she raised. Here you are.” 

The small child made no protest at being moved and curled comfortably against his shoulder.  

“Don’t worry. I’ll protect you from this old hag.” 

The old woman laughed. “You’re her boy, alright. Your lives will not be easy.”  

Kouga turned around and headed back into the den. He was careful to keep the smaller child steady in his arms. 

“What’cha got there Kouga?” asked Hakaku. 

“Nothing,” he said as he kept walking into the darkness. 

“Aw, come on, I smell that you got something. Show me!” he begged. 

“Well, okay,” he said, “but you got to promise you won’t freak out.” 

“I won’t! I won’t!” he said eagerly.    

“See,” he said as he showed him the small child in a simple fur dress. 

“You got a girl?” he gasped, “You’re in big trouble! Leader says they’re bad luck! We’ve got to get rid of her before he finds out!’ 

Kouga snorted. “You said you wouldn’t freak out, Hakaku. I am not getting rid of her.”  

“What are you guys yelling about?” asked Ginta as he rubbed his eyes. 

“Great,” Kouga muttered. “Of all the other kids in the place, you _had_ to wake up Ginta.” 

“There’s a girl in here!” he gasped then yelled. “Leader~!”  

“Shut up!” Kouga barked as he clamped his hand over the other boy’s mouth. “Do you want me to kill you?” Ginta shook his head quickly. “Listen you two, I know Leader doesn’t like girls, but she’s harmless. I mean, look at that face. Do you _really_ think she would harm us?” 

The staring contest ensued. 

“Well, she is kind of cute, I guess,” Hakaku trailed off. 

“Can I hold her?” Ginta asked. 

“If you help me keep her alive, you can hold her all you want. She should be able to eat some meat now,” Kouga said.  “No telling Leader about her or I’ll cut out your tongue with my claws! She’s our secret.” They nodded. “Good,” he said as he flopped down on his back and shut his eyes. “I’m her Aniue, understand?” 

“What? That’s not fair! If she’s ‘our secret,’ then she should be ‘our’ sister!” 

“She can be ‘our’ sister, but I’m still going to be her Aniue.”  

“Why?" 

“She sort of smells like Mama did. She has her eyes, too.” 

“Your Mama was expecting another kid before she went away, right?” Ginta asked. 

“I think she was.” 

“I don’t like this,” Hakaku said.

*  
 He awoke the next morning to someone calling his name. He placed the still sleeping baby next to Ginta and Hakaku and dashed outside. “What took you?” Robai asked. “Come on.”  

“Where are we going?” Kouga asked as he followed him. He kept glancing back to the den. 

“Leader wants to see you,” he said. The little boy entered the cave. 

“Hello, Kouga,” said the wolf with scars all over his face. “How are you?”

“I’ve been better,” he mumbled as he looked to the side.

“I heard that your parents were dead,” he said. “What a pity for one as young as you to lose them so soon. You must be all alone in the world.” Kouga looked away. The Leader’s young son stuck out his tongue at him.  “It’s too bad, really. You know, if you ever need anything, you can always come to me.”

Kouga said nothing.

“By the way, you didn’t perhaps see an old woman sneaking around, did you? She’s a witch and should not be trusted. Anything she gives out is surely evil.” 

“Yeah, okay, later,” he said as he ran back into the den.

*

“Where’d you go?” Ginta asked. In his arms he held the girl.

“Leader wanted to talk to me,” he said. “How is she?”

“Hungry. What's her name, anyway?”

“Her name is Tsuki.  If anybody asks, I don’t have a little sister. I have a little brother.”

“I’m Ginta, Tsuki,” said Ginta. “Gin-ta.”

“Gin-ta,” the child repeated.

“And I’m Hakaku,” Hakaku. “Ha-ka-ku.”

“Haka-ku,” she repeated again.

“I’m Kouga, but to you, I’m ‘Aniue,’ can you say that? A-ni-u-e?"

“A-ni-u.”

“A-ni-u- **e**.”

“A-ni-u,” the child repeated.

“Close enough.”

 

 


	4. Twins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another childhood fic. My version of how Kouga met Ayame.

Everyone was beginning to worry. The Elder’s granddaughter had not returned from the mountains. She was supposed to retrieve a sacred flower, or something like that, Kouga hadn’t really been paying attention. The Elder had called everyone who could travel to their territory in the west to witness the event.

He had left Tsuki in the care of old man Robai. He was getting older and could not make it all the way there. His secret would be safe with that old man.

“Someone, please check on Rira,” the Elder said in almost a whisper.

Rira? Was that her name?

No. He could have sworn her name started with something else.

That mountain sure was high. A little girl was supposed to climb that ting? He paused. In the distance, he saw something.

“Mama?” he asked.  He struggled to follow after the image all the way up the mountain.

He collapsed onto the grass. He was exhausted.

A familiar sound entered his ears.

A Bird of Paradise. Those monsters had killed his father. Now they were chasing a small, scared girl.

He did the first thing he could think of; he threw a rock at it.

“What the heck are you doing?” he asked as he grabbed her hand. “Run for it!”

The little girl did not need any further advice.

“Phew, we made it.” He glanced at her. “Hey, what are you crying for? We survived, didn’t we?”

“Rira, she-she!” she could not finish, she was too busy gulping in air. “I can’t find Rira!”

“Who’s that?” he asked.

“My twin sister.”

“Twin? I didn’t know the Elder had two granddaughters.”

“Nobody is supposed to know. If I don’t do something, they’ll take her away! She’s so much smaller and weaker than I am. The laws will have her killed if she doesn’t get stronger soon! It’s not fair!”

No, the laws were not fair.

“Ayame~!"  The voice was crying off somewhere in the distance.

“Rira?” The little girl took off running.

“Hey, wait up!” Kouga called.

The source of the crying was a small white ball. The girl beside him looked somewhere between wanting to laugh and wanting to cry herself.

“Rira!”

At the sound of her voice, the ball unraveled. This girl was much smaller than the other, and wore her hair straight down instead of up.

“Ayame!”

 “What were you thinking?” Ayame asked as she embraced her. “Gramps told you it was too dangerous to come with me!”

“I don’t care! I didn’t want to be left behind!”

Ayame said nothing.

“Hey, Sis, I found your flower,” Rira said.

“Ah, this is it! Gramps will be so pleased! You have one, too, I see,” she said. She was smiling now.

“That one has your name and this one has mine. Was I wrong to take it?”

The elder sister grabbed the smaller sister by the hand. “Let’s ask Gramps. Come on, we should go home.”

“Who is that?”  Rira asked.

“Him? His name is Kouga. He came to rescue us!” she said with a smile.

“It’s not like that! I just!” he protested.

Ayame laughed. “Whatever the reason, you were still really brave to come up here all by yourself.”

“A kid like you shouldn’t be all alone,” he protested.

“You’re a kid, too,” she countered.

“You mentioned training. What kind?” he asked.

“Spiritual training. I heard the last link to the Land of Pain disappeared. Gramps wants to see if I have any of that power in me,” Ayame said.

“By having you pick a flower? That doesn’t make any sense!” he exclaimed.

“The flowers that grow here are sacred. It was said the very first medium died in this mountain, when she did, her blessed blood watered the flowers. Since then, the flowers gain a sort of mystic power. “

“What does that have to do with you?”

“If I can unlock the power of this flower, it means I have some of that same power as the medium.” Ayame looked at Rira. “Rira, you should try this test, too. Gramps will take us north to train if we do.”

Rira nodded. “How will I know?”

“You just will,” Ayame said. “It’ll be an instinct. Huh?” Kouga had grabbed her hand.

“So we don’t get separated.” He was looking the other way as he spoke.

Ayame smiled at him.

The three children walked with their hands connected to one another through the dark. The light of the moon guided them back down.


	5. The Iris and the Lilac

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The continuation of my version of how Kouga met Ayame.

Those flowers, they changed everything. The destiny of the Elder’s granddaughters was being rewritten by the day.

The Iris had the power of purification. The Lilac was a more offensive flower. It could create a storm of petals.

It was announced to the whole clan that both of the Elder’s girls had some level of holy power to them. How much, nobody was exactly sure. Perhaps, combined, they could do something about the growing problem in the Land of Pain. It was decided by their grandfather that he would take to the north to train for the task.

Kouga had heard the announcement, but he didn’t believe a word of it.  

That girl, Ayame, they really expected her to be strong enough to take on all the regrets of the dead?

The dead.

Mother.

Maybe Ayame had answers.

When he found her, she was curled into a dark corner, clutching her sleeping twin. She was sobbing.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“I’m scared. I’m really scared,” she said. “Rira is, too, but everyone expects her to be scared. I’m supposed to look at this as a great honor. I’ll be calming the dead so they can rest in peace at last. But!”

“You’re still just a kid,” he finished.

Ayame nodded. “Those souls, they can do horrible things to those with weak wills. A lot of them never return to the Land of the Living.”

Never return?

No. He couldn’t ask her that.

“How’s Rira taking this whole thing?” he asked.

“She’s a little sad. She just made a friend and now she has to leave him behind for who knows how long. I’m a little sad about that, too. Though, I’m just happy she and I are allowed to exist as twins in this life.”

“Who?”

“Kazuo, he’s a grey-fur from the South clan.”

He sort of remembered meeting someone like that. Kazuo, huh? Was he that sniveling thing? Then again, that larger black-fur boy from the North, had just beat him up pretty good.

It was different when he saw Ayame crying. She was dealing with something that couldn’t just be solved by being the stronger fighter. These souls, they sounded tricky. They also sounded scary. Maybe he should say something?

“Is there any way for you not to be chosen for this?” he asked.

“I have to get married,” she said. “Only pure souls can calm the dead.”

“Pure?” he asked.

“Souls who are innocent and willing to accept their wills and pain into their own body; that innocence calms them and purifies them. Being married messes with that for some reason.”

Hmmm…

“Then I’ll marry you,” he said.

“What?” she exclaimed.

“You like me, don’t you?”

She looked to the side. “Well, of course I like you.”

“I like you, too. So that settles it. If things get too hard or too scary just say, ‘I’m going to be Kouga’s bride!’ That should shut them up.”

“You mean that?” she asked.

“Of course I do!” he said.

She smiled. Her tears were still falling, but she was smiling like when he had first met her.

“Thank you!”

There was a rainbow that night. The elders would call it a manifestation of Ayame’s power, but she always called it proof of a promise.

***

He witnessed the ceremony of farewell for them. One twin had her hand on either side of the Elder. Rira looked down at the ground, but Ayame, she looked back at him as if to say, “I’ll come back.”


	6. Fragments of Light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tsuki sees something Kouga doesn't.

It had started when Tsuki said, “What’s that?”

“What’s what?” he asked.

“That light.”

“What light?”

“Can you really not see it? It’s streaking across the sky really brightly….”

To his eyes, the sky was blue just like it always was. There was nothing strange about it at all.

“Maybe someone else can see that light. I’ll go ask around.”

He grabbed hold of her before she could run out.

“Hey! What are you doing?”

“Don’t say anything about the light,” he said, trying to keep his voice soft. “Others might not be able to see it and think strange things about you.”

“But it’s there! I’m not lying! Two points of really bright light are right there in the sky!”

He put his hand over her mouth. “Quiet! If you keep saying things like that, they’ll take you away, understand?”

She pushed away from him. “I’m not lying!”

He couldn’t think of anything to say to her. Try as he might, his eyes could not see the scattering light across the sky.


	7. The Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The strongest shall lead.

He couldn’t take this anymore.  As time went on, their leader was becoming more and more unreliable. The leader worked everyone very hard and never seemed to divide the spoils. Yes, he was the leader, but others were starving. He was getting older and more cowardly, but he would never admit it.

“Something has to be done about that old geezer, but what?” Kouga asked.

“Well, usually a younger guy challenges for the position of leader, but nobody wants to do it. Leader is old, but still very strong,” Ginta said.

“What’s wrong with our leader?” Hakaku asked.

“He’s getting suspicious of Tsuki, that’s what’s wrong,” he said under his breath.

“But we’ve been doing everything we can to make sure everyone doesn’t think he’s anything but your adopted little brother!” Hakaku said. “Even him.”

That’s right. Even now, they had to be careful. One slip into “she” and they’d all be in trouble. She wasn’t even aware that she was any different from them.

“Aniu,” the little voice said.

“Aniu-e; say it properly,” he responded.

“Aniu, have I been bad?”

“Of course not. Why?”

“Taro won’t stop staring at me like I’ve done something wrong.”

Great, his son was beginning to notice as well? He really was running out of time. He could take her and try to leave the pack. No, that wouldn’t work. If they tried to leave, they’d be hunted down for sure.

He sighed. “Well, I guess there’s only one thing left to do.”

“What’s that?” the three of them asked.

“I’ve got to challenge the old guy and become the new leader, what else?” he said.

 Their mouths hung open.

“Are you joking?” Hakaku asked.

“You can’t possibly beat him! He’ll kill you for trying to take his title from him!” Ginta said.

Tsuki looked to the side. Her cheeks were slightly puffed up, as if she were irritated. “What’s up, runt?”

 “Aniu,” she began. “Beat him up real good, okay?”

He grinned. “Don’t worry, I’ll give him my best punches for you! Be sure to root for me when I fight him, okay?”

 She nodded and grinned back at him. “Okay.”

“You’re serious?” Ginta said.

“It was nice knowing you,” Hakaku remarked. He pulled Tsuki close to him. “Don’t worry, when you die, we’ll take over looking after Tsuki for you.”

“Stop that! Aniu is going to win! Aren’t you, Aniu?” Tsuki said. She smiled very cutely. It was her supportive girl smile.

He wanted to see that smile more. He had to start preparing for what was to come.


	8. Strange Fragments

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Obtaining the shards.

He had taken Tsuki with him on a scouting trip. He no longer felt comfortable leaving her alone. More and more of the adults were starting to whisper things about her. They noted how she was much slenderer compared to the other boys, how she did not fight as much as they did at her age, all of this did not look good.

Leader had said to go get food; he never said to go alone.

“Aniu,” she said.

“What is it?” he asked, not letting go of her hand.

“I smell something funny,” she had whispered the words so softly that It was hard to hear them. “It’s moving this way.”

What was she going on about? He couldn’t smell anything. Regardless, he pulled her closer and quickened his pace. “Stay close to me. If I tell you to run away, you do that, understand?”

She nodded.

 “What does this thing smell like?” he asked.

“Its scent is very strange. I can’t figure out what it is. It’s like blood and… something else I’ve never smelled before.”

She stopped moving.

“What is it?” he asked.

“Aniu! Look out!” she cried.

A giant boar came rushing for them.

“Get down!” he called as he pushed her away from him.

Something was wrong, this animal was moving much faster than normal. Its strikes were much stronger. It rammed into a cliff and went right through it.  

“Hide!” he called. “I’ll get it!”

This animal was big. If he caught it, it could feed most of the pack, that is, if it didn’t kill him first. He hoped he could prove himself.

*

He was covered in blood, but that thing was dead. He managed to kill it by taking out the eyes and leading it into the river. A risky move, but it worked. He had pulled it to the shore.

“Hey! You can come out now!” he called. “I got it!”

His sister ran up to him.  She looked worried.

“What are these?” he asked as he glanced at the blood-soaked fragments he had pulled out from under the dead animal’s skin. “Do you think it was these things that made that animal stronger?”

“If they did, would you end up dead?” she asked. Her voice was still very small. Her body was giving off a slight shake.

That’s right; she still wasn’t used to the sight of death. It must have frightened her. He began to wash himself off.

“No way,” he said. “I wouldn’t be so stupid as to get killed. Here, to prove it to you; I’ll put them somewhere where they can actually be of use.”

“Don’t!” she cried out.

Too late.

His legs burned, but at the same time, he felt so powerful, so light on his feet. He grimaced. He could endure this; he could get used to this.

 _Don’t look at me like that_! _Don’t look so afraid of me!_  

 He tried to smile, but it hurt so much. He took off at a run. He was much faster than he had ever been in his life. “I’m fine, see? Look at what I just did! Wasn’t that cool?”

She shook her head. “I don’t like this,” she whispered.  That look of fear was still there.

An idea entered his mind. He smiled to himself.

Now, he could deal with the leader.


	9. Challenging the Leader

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How Kouga became the leader.

Today was the day he called the old man out, but first, he had to make sure of something.

“Do me a favor, runt,” he said.

“What kind of favor?” Tsuki asked.

“Guard something for me.”

“Eh? You want me to guard something like that?” she asked.

“I’m counting on you, okay?”

“Sure, Aniu. I’ll keep your treasure safe.”

“Good boy,” he said as he messed with her hair.

“Aniu!” Tsuki called. Kouga looked back. “Promise me you won’t lose!”

“It’s a promise!”

The leader was there waiting. He had heard that one of the younger ones was going to challenge him.

“I was expecting it to be you, Kouga. You always were the most ungrateful of the lot. When this is over, you and that pup you call your brother will be killed for defying me.”

“I’d like to see you try it!” he said.

He tried to start the battle off with a swift punch. The leader simply grabbed onto him and gave him a toss. He went flying, but was able to land and recover quickly without falling to the ground. To go down for more than a few moments, was to lose the match. He’d have to come up with another strategy.

Leader was strong when directly confronted. He knew what he had to do.

He ran.

He ran like he had never run in his life. He was going to wear the old man out.

While he jumped over things the leader simply charged right on through them.

When the old man stopped to catch his breath, that’s when he began his attack. He didn’t give the old man time to recover fully.  He fell to the ground.  Kouga pinned him down, using all his strength to keep him there.  Only, something seemed off. The leader was not fighting back as hard.

“That’s enough,” the leader said. “My heart… my heart can’t take it.”

He won. He actually won.

Everyone else was as stunned as he was. Well, almost everyone.

“Yes! I knew you’d beat him! Way to go, Aniu!”

With him as the new leader, there’d be no reason to hide her anymore.

Everyone looked at him. It was customary to kill the loser.

“Let him go,” he said. “He’s no threat to me.”

Slowly, the old man turned his back on the clan.

“Father!” Taro called.

The old man looked back at his son. “Be a good boy for the new leader, Taro.”

This was better than killing them, wasn’t it? He turned to Tsuki.

“Did you do your job?” he asked.

“Yes.”

“Good.”

He took his strange shards from her and put them back in his legs. He aimed to keep his new position for as long as he could.

 

 


	10. No, Really, You’re a Girl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tsuki's true gender is revealed to the clan!

“My first rule of leader is this: Unless your names are ‘Ginta’ or ‘Hakaku,’ stay away from my sister. If anybody tries anything, they’ll have to deal with me, got it?”

There was an awkward silence in the air.

“Tsuki is my sister, not my brother,” he reiterated.

“Huh~?”

“I have a sister?” Tsuki asked excitedly. “When do I get to meet her?”

Oh boy.

“You are the sister, Tsuki,” he said.

She smiled cutely. It was as if she didn’t fully understand. “Don’t be silly. I can’t be your sister; I’m a boy.”

“You. Are. A. Girl,” he repeated slowly. “You’re not a boy! You always were a girl!”

“Oh Aniu, you’re such a kidder!” she said.

 His face was not amused. “I’m not joking here, runt. You really are a girl and it’s Aniue; say it properly.”

She continued to smile at him as if the words he was saying still didn’t fully sink in.

He sighed. He was surrounded by a bunch of silent, stunned faces and one sweetly oblivious smile.  How was he going to handle leading all of these morons? 


	11. "Boku wa"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Also known as, "fun with Japanese pronouns."

He was afraid this would happen one day. His sister, who for a good portion of her early life had honestly believed herself to be a boy, could not understand proper female pronouns.

She used “boku” all the time.

He tried to explain to her that she wasn’t supposed to use that term anymore.

“Use ‘atashi’ or ‘watashi’ from now on, okay?” he said.

She said she understood, but she still said “boku” in her response.

This was going to be harder than he thought.

“That’s not right, it’s atashi, a-ta-shi.”

“Why not?” she asked. “What’s wrong with what I’m saying?”

“It’s not _what_ you’re saying; it’s _how_ you’re saying it.”

“But I’ve always talked like this! You taught me it in the first place!”

“Well, unlearn it.”

The smaller child cupped her hands to her mouth. “Then Aniu was _wrong_?”

Mayday! Mayday!

“No, I wasn’t wrong in teaching you to talk like that!” he cut in.”Aniu had a very good reason for everything!”

“Then why take it back?” She asked. “Why can’t I say ‘I’ the way Aniu taught me to?”

“It’s complicated, okay?” he said as he pulled at his hair with his hands out of frustration.

“Tell me,” she said.

“You’re too young. I’ll explain when you’re a bit bigger. Until then, try to sound a bit more feminine, okay?”

“Okay,” she answered in a small voice.

“Good girl.”

“Come on, Tsuki, let’s go play!” one of her friends called.

She didn’t use “boku” that time.

She used “ore.”

 He sighed.  For now, he could live with the strange girl who addressed herself as a boy.


	12. Sign of Respect

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Children should grow up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Takes place a little after the events in "North."

Kouga said Tsuki couldn’t call him “Aniu” anymore.

She asked him why.

He said it was because it was embarrassing for someone of his stature to be referred to by such a childish term. He asked her to show him some respect.

He made sure to sound irritated at her.

She said nothing at first, but later asked him if the term “leader” would be okay instead.

Yes, leader would work. If she referred to him the same way the other children did, then Naraku would have no way of differentiating her from any of the other kids. He had no way of knowing which child’s death would affect him the most.

Her voice sounded hurt, like she wanted to push the issue further, but his continued silence left her silent herself. He kept his back to her. He didn’t want to look at her face, not after something like this.

“You’re dismissed,” he said. He did his best to keep his tone natural.

He had a feeling he would get an earful from Ginta and Hakaku because of this. Maybe if he explained it, they would understand why he just made her cry.


	13. The Line between Girl and Boy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a fight breaks out.

“A fight has broken out!” one of the voices called.

This was normal for them, but the urgency in the lookout’s voice made Kouga suspicious. He went to go look for himself.

Tsuki was fighting with Taro. For a moment, he felt a swell of pride. She was holding her own against him.

Pride quickly turned to dread.

Everyone watched as Tsuki slashed out Taro’s left eye.

They did not say anything. They simply stared in silence as Taro wailed in pain.

How was he supposed to handle this?

It was normal for boys to fight out their problems, but she was not a boy.

It was normal for one of those boys to win, he’d never heard of a girl beating a boy before.

This could end badly. Taro, though abandoned, was still a leader’s son. A good portion of the tribe still liked and respected him. He had no idea how they felt about Tsuki now that it was known that she was in fact, a girl. It didn’t help that he, their new leader, had hidden this from them for a long time.

Had she crossed some line in taking his eye? That couldn’t be right, fights almost always ended in some kind of scarring or broken limb.

So why did this one seem so different?

Taro was still crying and Tsuki was trying to catch her breath. She looked ill.

What had he done that provoked her?

He then noticed the slash marks on her little fur dress.

Had he?

No… would he?

Maybe.

“Don’t ever do that to me that again!” she snapped.

Oh boy.

Ginta and Hakaku were quick to respond, leading the girl into the den and saying soft words of encouragement and comfort to her.

Everyone was looking at him like he should do something.

 That’s right, he was the leader.

“What happened?” he asked.

“Isn’t it obvious, you moron? That sister of yours attacked me!” Taro snapped. “My eye! My eye!”

What was he going to do?


	14. After the Fight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happens after the fight.

Kouga had taken Tsuki back into the den with him and ordered everyone to stay out while he tried to talk with her.

She had her back to him and remained decidedly silent. The claw marks on her fur could still be seen.

He didn’t want to think the worse had happened. She was only a kid. However, she was a little girl in a tribe full of males. When she matured to a mating age…. He didn’t want to think of that, either.

“Taro… said he wanted to marry me,” she said after awhile. “I told him to go suck on a pig. He pulled at my arm really hard and said that now that I was a girl; getting married to him was the best I could hope for. So I kicked him and tried to make a run for it, but he was faster than me.”

“Did he do anything other than that?” he asked.

She hung her head. “He tried to grab me again, but he missed and got my fur instead. We started to fight after that and… well…” she couldn’t finish.

The air between them was thick.

“I… I don’t like being a girl. How do I go back to being a boy?”

She sounded so desperate.

“You don’t,” he said. He could not stop himself from sighing. “You never were a boy. How many times do I have to explain that to you?”

He was too tired to deal with that argument.

“So eventually, they’ll all treat me like that?”

“I don’t know.”

Silence.

“Can I stay with you tonight? Or is that…. not allowed anymore?”

He paused. He had just told her she needed to start sleeping near her friends and that she couldn’t rely on him or Ginta and Hakaku for comfort much longer.

Still, he didn’t want to just kick her out this late at night.  

 “Yeah, you can, but just for tonight. I’m leaving in the morning.”

“Oh… will you be gone long?”

She would not look up at him as she spoke.

“I’m not sure. You be a good girl while I’m gone, okay?”

“I’ll try…” she said.

“It’s late. I don’t know about you, but I’m beat. If you want something, tell me now before I close my eyes.”

She wasted no time curling up beside him.

 They were both exhausted.  

Maybe things would be better in the morning.


	15. Travel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He always wanted to travel.

  
He had always wanted to travel. 

He always liked to go places with his parents when it was just the three of them, but that did not last long.

 Even when he had grown into a capable young adult, he was still forbidden to travel a long distance alone. Yes, there was sense in numbers, but at the same time, it could be very boring depending on who you were with.

But things were different now.

He and his two friends were not traveling to see the different lands like he had originally wanted.  No, he was traveling the lands in search of the two who had deceived and killed so many of his friends and comrades. 

The only time he could enjoy himself was dusk.

 He spent so much of the day running that he barely had any time to look around at what he was running towards.


	16. The Waiting Game

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What if some of the clan survived the attack and stayed behind? (Tsuki's POV.)

Days were shorter without their leader. Things barely got done before sundown. Everyone passed their days by arguing with one another.

When to hunt? What to do? Everything was a mess.

She and her friends tried to make do with it, day by day.

When they could not get meat, they subsided on fruit.

Leader had said fruit wasn’t appropriate for a young wolf. Would he be disappointed in her now?

She used to hate sundown when the leader was around, he always made her go to bed with the sun.

Now, she could stay out until she got cold and watch the moon and the stars. Nobody bothered to tell her to come inside.

When she was tried or too cold, she would curl up besides her friends and sleep.

He would come back one day. She always told herself that. Maybe, if she was lucky, it would be tomorrow.

It never was tomorrow.

Even if she sat at her favorite spot, the one that could see out very far into the territory, that familiar whirlwind never was in her line of sight.

The others began to notice her odd habit of waiting for hours on end, just gazing out into the nothing. 

Even if they told her their leader wasn’t coming back, she would continue to gaze.

Always gazing, always waiting, for Aniu’s return.


	17. Arguments

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kouga and Tsuki have a fight.

Let the record show that Tsuki was the one who started it. Scratch that, she _usually_ started it.

They were siblings. They often argued over petty things.

Stupid little fights started and ended the same way.

Bigger fights, though, usually began very differently.

They started to fight more after he had exposed Tsuki as a girl.

What she could do, what she could no longer do, then endless stream of whys… the little fights never seemed to end.

The biggest fight they’d had to date was over his decision to leave the clan for the sake of the dead.

She had said some pretty nasty words to him then, words no proper girl would ever use.

He turned away from her then.

Big mistake.

She leapt on him.

Usually, she yelled and fought and if she was very angry, bit him, but he would endure her spits of fury and always win in the end. He was stronger than her, pure and simple.

Then, when she was worn out and willing to listen, he would explain his side and she would explain hers.

It was how they did things.

Only, that last fight did not end well.

He refused to listen to her.

So she screamed at him, called him an idiot and stormed off, presumably to cry.

Maybe in time, she would come to understand why he was doing this, but for now, he had to focus on ending the quest. He could make up with her then.


	18. Wings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kouga dreams.

In his dream, he was following a voice. It was a voice he didn’t recognize, but at the same time, he couldn’t help but feel he knew who it belonged to. The space in which he ran was white. The song the voice was singing could be heard everywhere.

Try to remember.

Someone important, that voice was someone important to him.

He kept on running. The voice kept on singing. He was never reaching the source of the song. The song never stopped; it continued on forever.

He reached a shadowed figure in the world of white. A young wolf woman. A young wolf woman with beautiful white wings.

She did not turn to face him before she shot off towards the moon.

He usually didn’t put much stock in dreams, but before he fell asleep again, he made sure to think of things that made him happy.


	19. Whispers in the Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nightmares.

He woke up a lot in the middle of the night.

He thought about things too much.

Mostly, he thought about the dead.

How they died.

How he failed.

Then he thought about how things were back home and how the others were managing without him.

There were a handful of kids in his tribe when he had left. Were they okay?

Which often lead to. . .

Was Tsuki okay?

Thoughts of her woke him as often as the cries of the dead did.

She was still so small.

Sometimes, when he closed his eyes, she was lost and crying for him.

Sometimes, she was starving, fighting for a scrap of meat.

Sometimes, she was dead, her body left alone and untended.

On such nights, when he was sure Ginta and Hakaku were still asleep, he would whisper apologies to them. He hoped with those words, the dead and those left behind would be quelled long enough to let him sleep a little longer before the sun was up. 


	20. The Barter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A deal was struck behind his back.

The three of them were resting by the river. Ginta and Hakaku were still trying to catch their breath.

“Hey, isn’t that?” Ginta began.

It was. One of his wolves ran towards him.

The wolf came with news from back home.

“What is it?” he asked.

He waited for the whines and growls to finish.

“WHAT?”

This was unforgivable.

Ginta and Hakaku stayed quiet.

“What happened, Kouga?” Hakaku asked after awhile.

 “Some of the guys tried to smuggle Tsuki to the north tribe in exchange for meat! Meat, of all things!”

“Poor little girl…” Ginta said. “The north must be suffering, too.”

“It must be pretty hard back home… Should we go back?” Hakaku asked.

“I can’t go back home, not yet. You know that.”

“But if they tried to trade her once, what’s going to stop them from trying again if times get harder? She can’t defend herself against grown men! We have to do something about this!” Hakaku said.

“If you don’t, we’ll go back ourselves!” Ginta said.

They were outraged also?

He couldn’t go home, but she needed him.

What was he going to do?

“Fetch her,” he ordered to the wolf who had brought him the news. “We’ll stay here until you bring her to me.”

Why had the men he entrusted her to betrayed him, for meat of all things?

 

 


	21. Dire States

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The state of the clan.

When the wolf arrived, the girl was asleep. She was being carried on his back. To his surprise, her two friends had come with her.

The larger of the two, from what he understood, seemed to be mute. He never spoke a word. His best bet was to talk to the smaller one.

“Kamaru, why are you and Manaku here?”

“Did you think we would just send her off on her own after what almost happened?” The boy asked frankly. “We wanted to be sure the message was really from our leader and not some trick from the north.”

This kid figured out that much?

“Why would they be that interested in her? She just a little kid.”

“It seems the north tribe has fallen on hard times as well. I’ve heard rumors that their numbers are rapidly declining. At this rate, they’re willing to offer a trade for any female wolf they can get their hands on, even little ones.”

Awkward silence.

“Leader, our hunting hasn’t been so great since you left. The men were getting desperate. They fought about what to do with the offer for a long time. In the end, a handful tried to smuggle her out, but those who were still loyal to you stepped in and stopped them from getting too far north.”

“Is she alright?” he asked.

“I don’t know. She’s been sleeping a lot since then. She won’t talk about it.”

He took her from the wolf. She seemed lighter.

It wasn’t just Tsuki, all three of them looked to be on the thin side.

He turned to Ginta and Hakaku. “Hey, you two, go get some meat for the kids to eat. They’ve come a long way.”

With some reluctance, the two older boys ran off.

This was not good. Things weren’t supposed to be this complicated.

Why wasn’t she awake yet?


	22. Waiting by the River

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kouga hates waiting, too.

For once, Kouga was the one waiting on Ginta and Hakaku. The two younger boys stayed near him, watching and waiting for their promised return with meat.

Part of him wanted to keep moving; they were losing good daylight, but the other part wanted to stay and wait for Tsuki to wake up.

So he sat by the river and tried to help himself be relaxed by listening to the flow of the water.

 For now, he was going to stay put.

He felt like a kid again. He wanted to run to the old man and ask him what he should do, if she would be okay.

Please be okay.

 “….Leader?”

Her voice was soft and confused.

She sounded sick.

“Hey, runt. Is everything okay? I heard you almost went to the north.”

“I didn’t want to go… Those north men are big and scary, but everyone said it would be better if I went with them. I tried to run away by using the river, but they caught me at the border of our land. I would have tried to swim for it, but….”

She couldn’t swim, not in that kind of water. The river was too long. It connected to the tribe in the east and the tribe in the west.

 “Can I stay with you? Just for a little while? Please?”

Now what was he supposed to do?

 


	23. Fishing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They go fishing.

Kouga rested against the bark of a tree. His sister was in the branches above him, playing lookout for Ginta, Hakaku, and the boys who were a ways behind them.

Riding with him had its perks. When he put her down, she couldn’t stop talking about how much fun it was to go that fast.

She wasn’t that heavy. Maybe he could….

No.

It was stupid to take a child with him on this quest. He needed to figure out somewhere where she would be safe. Somewhere where she could live in peace and not worry about Naraku or the wills of stubborn old men.

She had to keep living, no matter what.

He might never see her again.

He might never…

How long had it been since they last played a game together? He used to do it a lot when she was smaller. Being the leader took up a lot of his time. This whole revenge quest wasn’t helping things either.

What was her favorite game again?

She liked tag, but with his legs he’d be cheating. She liked hide-and-seek, but he didn’t want her to go too far away from him.

There were fish in the river. He saw them swim from the clear water.

That could work.

“Hey, you want to play a game with me?” he asked.

She hopped down from the tree. “Sure!”

“It’s called ‘stalk the fish.’ See if you can catch one,” he said. “Here, watch me.”

He followed one of the silver fish as quickly and quietly as he could, but he hadn’t counted on stubbing his toe on a rather large rock. His yells of pain caused all the fish to scatter.

She stifled a laugh.

“You try it.”

She tried stalking them from the shore, but she almost fell into deeper waters; he had to dive to catch her.

On his next turn, he fell on his face.

On hers, she splashed around too much and scared them off. 

He was afraid that she would get bored; they weren’t even close to catching anything, but suddenly, she came running for him.

“Leader, catch them, hurry!”

“Huh?”

She had scared the fish to come towards him. He scrambled to at least get one.

“Got’cha!” he said as he triumphantly held up his catch.

“Way to go, Leader!” she called. She turned around to look behind her. “Ah, look! The others caught up! Hey! We got fish! We got fish!”

They ate well that night.


	24. Storybook

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tsuki plays with Shippo.

Kouga sighed.

Another day, another failed chance to win Kagome’s heart.

He found his sister playing with the little fox-boy. They were using strange-colored tools from Kagome’s world and talking with each other about something.

“What should happen next?” the boy asked. He was lying on his stomach, one of the strange things gripped in his hand.

Kouga could never remember his name.

“The two adventurers should run into a BIG monster!” Tsuki exclaimed. Her hands went up, showing about how big it could be.

“With scary teeth!” the boy chimed in.

“And lots of drool!” she said.

With that, the boy’s hand with the tool began to move.

Kouga kept his eye on her for a little while before he went to scout the area. There were others around, she would be fine in their care.

When he returned, the group had gathered around in a circle. The two children presented pictures to them. They were all strange colors.

“And then they ran into a HUGE monster with big teeth and lots of drool!” the fox-boy said.

“But they managed to escape thanks to a cave, but it was really dark, they couldn’t see anything!” Tsuki said. “But the light from the stars helped them find their way back again.”

He sat down for a moment and listened to the wild tale. When it was over, everyone clapped.

“That was a good story, Tsuki!” Kagome said. “Your art was good, like always, Shippo!”

Kagome liked stories?

Did he know any good stories he could tell her?

Well, his tribe had the legend of the Moon God.

That was the only one that ever stuck in his head.

Maybe he would ask Tsuki for some ideas when they were alone. He never realized she was good at that sort of thing.


	25. Request

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oh, hi, Ayame!

These wolves that pursued them, they were fast.

“They’re gaining on us!” Tsuki called.

“Hold on, I’m going to try and ditch them when we come to the river!”

Something strange was in the air around them.

“Flower petals?” Tsuk asked.

He stopped moving. He knew this scent.

“Don’t you remember me, Kouga?” a voice asked.

“Who is that?” Tsuki whispered in his ear.

That flower… The white fur… the red hair….

Wait a minute!

That young woman standing before him _that_ was Ayame?

Then the one beside her was her little twin, the one who had gotten lost up on the mountain all those years ago?

That couldn’t be right!

Yet, it looked like them.

One looked annoyed and the other looked concerned.

 “Sis, should I knock him out if he doesn’t come quietly?”

He could feel Tsuki tense up.

“Don’t,” he said softly.

 “No!” Ayame, or at least, he thought it was Ayame, snapped. She turned to him. “Kouga, please come back with us. We need your help.”

“With what?” he asked.

“The tribes aren’t doing well right now. We need to figure out the best course of action. Please. You’re the strongest among us. The others will listen to you.”

He was the strongest, wasn’t he?

Why was something nagging at the back of his head?

He remembered promising something to one of the girls, but that was so long ago and they had both been children at the time.

“He can’t go with you.”

It was Tsuki who said the words, not him.

“What’s with the kid, Kouga? Is he one of yours?” one of the sisters asked.

“I can’t go with you. I have men I need to avenge.”

“You’re talking about Tsume’s men?”

Tsume, the north leader….

“Mine too. Some of my men, they followed him to that castle and were killed.”

“If you’re so serious about this, what’s a kid doing with you?” Rira asked.

“Trouble back home. It’s not safe for kids anymore.”

“Do you need help?” Ayame asked.

“No. the two of us manage just fine. Isn’t that right?”

“Right,” Tsuki echoed.

He was lying through his teeth. He did need the help. He had no idea what he was going to do with her, but asking the granddaughters of elder, of all people, seemed too risky.

Still, Tsuki kept glancing back at them. Had she even seen another female wolf before?

If she was expected to grow up properly, she needed to be around more females. She was awkward enough already.

“Hey, what are those things on your chest? Are they some kind of disease?”

He put his hand on his head. She was so very, very awkward.


	26. Journey to the West

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kouga asks Ayame for a favor.

He tried to be secretive about where they were going. It was just him and the three kids, Ginta and Hakaku had decided not to come.

He was going west. He had to go west. It was the safest of the tribes.

Ayame would also be there. She would do what he asked, she had to.

When his sister could not walk anymore, he carried her in his arms. It was easier this way; under the cover of night he could avoid being detected. The fewer things that knew he was carrying something small and eatable, the better.

Kamaru and Manaku followed silently behind him. Both seemed to be aware something was off.

“We’re going somewhere, aren’t we?” Kamaru asked.

“I’m taking you somewhere safe. You two watch out for Tsuki, okay? Make sure she stays out of trouble.”

“Of course we will; right, Manaku?” Kamaru said. The silent boy nodded.

He would have told her that himself if she wasn’t asleep.

If she did wake up, what would he say?

The truth?

A lie?

No matter what he told her, he could not look back.

This revenge, it would most likely kill him. It was why he had lied to Ayame about not remembering their previous encounter as children. It was why he was going to take Tsuki and the boys to her and then turn around and head back to where he’d left Ginta and Hakaku.

That was the plan and he would not deviate from it. He could no longer look back, only forward.


	27. Anee-chan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ayame reflects on her current situation.

When they had last met, Kouga pretended to forget about ever knowing her, about the promise he had made to her.

If he was someone else, she might have believed him, but the Kouga she knew was a terrible liar. Oh sure, he could puff out his chest and boast like the best of them. He could pretend, too, pretend to be tougher than he was, pretend that having vengeful blood on his hands didn’t affect him at all.

He was still a terrible liar.

She would not have said yes to what he asked of her if she felt otherwise.

All the pretenses dropped when he approached her about the little child he had with him that day.

He spoke honestly with her; his tone was much less confident; he mixed up his words.

That was who she remembered. That was who she fell in love with.

It was good to see that part of him had not died.

That was why she agreed to take care of the girl who spoke like a boy, a girl who did not seem to know what it meant to be a lady.

His face had changed when she said yes. He looked happy, relieved. He said he would bring her by as soon as he could.

***

For the first three days, the girl did nothing but sit and wait. She would not talk to anyone, she ate just enough and slept little. She would simply sit, trying to see a whirlwind in the distance. Her two friends stayed beside her, but they could not bring her spirits up no matter how hard they tried.

On the fourth night, after her friends had retired, Ayame sat beside her. The older girl began the conversation very simply. What she liked, what she didn’t like, things like that. At first, the girl did not respond.

“He’ll never come back for me, will he? He doesn’t want me anymore.”

Ayame had felt that way at first, too. When Kouga said that he loved a human girl more than her, she’d been very hurt, but she could see that Kagome did not love Kouga. He was just fooling himself. Now, Ayame felt sorry for him. If the pursuit was for show or love, his heart would still be hurt when Kagome finally said, “I don’t want you around anymore. I love this man. It was never you.”

Though, she doubted Kagome would actually say it like that. Even if she did not love him, that human girl was still kind in her own way. She had to be, otherwise, he would not have fallen for her.

 “He won’t forget about you, Tsuki; you’ll see. If you want, I can be your Onee-san, I’ll take care of you.”

The girl said nothing for awhile. Had she taken things too fast?

“Can I call you ‘Anee-chan’ instead?” she asked.

 “Sure, but if I’m ‘Anee-chan,‘ you can be ‘Tsu-chan,’” she said.

“Tsu-chan?” she repeated. “Isn’t that kind of girly?”

“You’re a cute girl, so you should have a cute name.”

Tsuki shook her head. “I’m not cute at all!   A cute girl would wait, like the wolf who was in love with the moon. A cute girl would be kind and say, ‘come back soon!’ I can’t do that! Every time I close my eyes, I see his stupid face and I want to punch it until his fangs fall out!”

She stayed quiet for awhile. The only sound she made was trying to gasp for air as she sobbed.

“Did he get rid of me because I’m not a lady? I’ve been trying to improve, but I don’t know what he wants me to do! It’s frustrating! It’s like he thinks I was born knowing I was a girl. I didn’t even know until he told everyone else! I want to go back to being a boy!”

Ayame held the little girl close to her chest and let her cry. With an upbringing like that, no wonder she was confused about her identify.

Kouga’s heart had been in the right place, but his lie about the child’s gender could not be reversed easily. Ayame had her work cut out for her. Her own sister still thought that Kouga had brought them three boys, not two boys and a girl.  

 “There, there. Don’t worry. Anee-chan will teach you all about being a proper lady. I promise you, he won’t forget to come and get you. It might even be someday soon. When he does, you can impress him with all your new skills,” Ayame said. “Here, I’ll teach you one right now. Would you like to send your wish to the Moon God? He might hear yours and grant it.”

Tsuki wiped her eyes. “Does that even work?”

“Sometimes it does.”

  Tsuki watched as Ayame balled her hands together and closed her eyes. She spoke her wish softly and then opened her hands and put them forward towards the sky, as if she were releasing a bird.

Kouga had not forgotten her. Her tiny desire had been heard. Somewhere deep down, beyond all the bluffs and sadness he was feeling, she was still there inside of his heart. She doubted the girl beside her was any different than herself in that regard. Maybe she would explain it when Tsuki got a little older.

The little girl whispered a frantic prayer, her hands clutched tightly together.

“Please, leader, whatever you do… don’t any of you die on me. Come back and find me, okay? I’ll be waiting right here. So please…”

With that, she released her prayer to the moon. 

Ayame took the girl’s hand. Someday, this girl in her care would understand how much the young leader of the east was sacrificing. Someday, she would understand how much he had risked to make the journey to a foreign territory, just on a slim hope that his young members might have a chance to live on if he did not return.

He had not forgotten about their future in these uncertain times.


	28. Wolves

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The role of the wolves that travel with Kouga.

The wolves he traveled with were more than just companions to him. They were his eyes and ears to all reaches of the area.

The wolves that followed the various packs communicated with one another regularly. It was a way to know of important news going on in each clan, like births, deaths, territory wars, and other noteworthy things.

One of his wolves was specifically selected to keep tabs on the western tribe of the Elder.

He was sure Ayame was using one of her white wolves to keep tabs on him, too.

He asked the wolves to report to him if anything strange or dangerous was going on in the Elder’s clan.

Ayame had taken a burden off of his mind in taking the children from his pack. He at least owed her the courtesy of returning the favor somewhere along the line.

His wolves would tell him when he could do that.


	29. Attack

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kyokotsu attacks.

What had they done wrong? Had the maidens not been diligent in their prayers? Or perhaps, they as a people were becoming too selfish? Whatever the reason, it seemed the Moon God had abandoned them.

An unstoppable monster was descending on their territory. It was some unnatural thing that feasted on demons.

The men who could fight were dying left and right. Those who survived were forced to keep moving.

Rira… she gone on alone to face that monster, to try to protect everyone.

Ayame struggled to keep the children and the elders moving. They were tired, but they could not slow down.

 Had she known it would have come to this, she would have tried harder to convince Kouga to come back with her. For now, all she could do was hold tightly to the small, shaking, child she carried in her arms and keep moving forward.

***

They had taken shelter in a cave. Her grandfather had fallen from exhaustion. The children lay huddled together. All Ayame could do was put her hands together and hope the Moon God heard her silent screams for help.

She wished Kouga was here. He had the best chance of any of them in taking that thing down. That, and she had her own selfish reasons for wanting to see him again.

She missed him.

“Anee-chan,” a voice said.

“What is it, Tsu-chan?”

“He’s coming.”

“Who is?” Ayame asked.

Tsuki turned her head away from her.  “…You should go to him. He’ll need your help if he wants to kill that thing.”

What?

“You mean… Kouga’s here? But what can I do?”

Tsuki nodded. “I’d know his scent anywhere. I know that scent, too. It’s coming from that monster. You have to show him that!”

Show him what? What was she talking about? Ayame didn’t smell him at all.

Unless….

“Kazuo!”

The gray-furred leader of the south glanced at her. “Yes?”

“Please, protect everyone. I’m going to meet Kouga.” She turned to the children. “Tsu-chan, if anything comes into this cave, you have my permission to try and fight it off, but that’s only if you can’t run away, you understand me? Don’t pick fights with anything.”

Tsuki nodded. “Understood.”

“You’re a good girl. I’ll be back for you all real soon.”

Once again, Ayame was running. She only hoped when she came back the others would still be there.


	30. Ash and Grave Soil

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kouga enters the battle.

 His first tip that something was wrong was the scent of blood in the water. His second tip was the familiar scent of flowers.

No, it couldn’t be, could it?

The tribe of the Elder was the safest place to be.

So why did it smell so strange?

He had to go investigate. They might need him.

They might be waiting for him, counting on him to save them.

He could not let them down again.

***

When he arrived, the huge creature was lumbering towards something.

There was a body lying in the distance.

White fur, red hair….

Could it be?

He ran for the body.

No, that wasn’t her. It was her twin.

“Hey, Rira!”  Kouga called.

She was not responding.

That thing was going to take her in one hand and crush her.

Not if he got there first.


	31. Seeing the Light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ayame sees the light of a jewel shard.

When she saw the strange light in the sky, something inside of her said it had come from the sacred jewel.

She swallowed her fear and took off after the light.

Ayame saw a body lying in the grass. It had been placed a ways away from the fight.

“Rira…?”

Her heart was still beating.

She saw Kouga trying to take on the massive monster that had scattered the clans.

That thing, he was laughing at Kouga!

What did Tsuki want her to do?

What could she possibly do to help him?

Yet, she wanted to, more than anything.

Wait, what was that light shining from the monster’s forehead?

That same light…

“Kouga!”

Kouga turned around. “Ayame? What are you doing? Get out of here!”

“No! Not until you hear what I have to tell you!”

“If this is about personal matters, can’t it wait? I’m kind of busy right now!”

“It’s in his forehead, you moron!” she snapped.

“What are you talking about?” he called as he dodged the creature’s massive hand.

“There’s a light in his forehead. I think it’s the jewel!”

Well, _that_ got his attention.

 

 


	32. The Long Fight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The fight continues.

“What do you mean you think it’s from the jewel?” he asked.

“I can’t explain it, but you have to aim for his forehead!”  Ayame called.

That was easier said than done. That creature was massive. It would take a lot of effort to get up to his head. What’s more, he was swinging a giant weapon around.

There was also the matter of the three of them.

“Hey! I need you three to go check on Rira!”

Thankfully, Ayame seemed to get the message and led Ginta and Hakaku away.

 With those three out of the way, he could focus on fighting.

Incoming!

He jumped out of the way of the oncoming mace.

How was he supposed to reach his head?

Maybe if he made a run for it….

He felt something squeeze his whole body.

It was that thing’s hand.

His whole body hurt.

He had to end this, now!

He waited until he could see the monster’s teeth.

Just a bit more…

His claws ripped through the flesh of his forehead.

He felt something hot beyond the blood.

Got it!

The monster began to fall.

He sighed. It was over.


	33. Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the battle

“What were you doing here, Ayame?” Kouga asked.

“I saw the light and….” Ayame stopped herself.  “Is he dead?”

“Yeah, he’s nothing but bones now.”

Ayame looked past Kouga. Yes, nothing but a mass of giant bones.

“How’s your sister doing?”

Rira was still breathing.

Her heart was still beating.

Ayame clung to her sister and held her.

“She’s still holding to life. She’ll pull through, I know she will. Were you the one who got her away from that thing?”

“Yeah.” He looked to the side. “This is hers, isn’t it?”

Her sacred flower. She must have used it on the monster.

Ayame took it from him.

“Thank you. Thank you for saving her. She’s the most important person in the world to me. I was so scared that when she ran off to try to fight that monster that she wouldn’t come back.”

“How did you do that sight thing back there? Is that what your flower does?” he asked.

She couldn’t really explain it. “I guess I was able to sense the jewel for just a moment, but it’s not my normal art.”

Just like Kagome.

Kagome.

He’d compare her to Kagome.

“You can do that?” he asked.

“Our grandmother was a Maiden of the Moon. Maybe, for a moment, she was helping me.”

“Well, I’m glad she decided to do that. Otherwise, I would have never known where the shard was. Looks like you really did train to be able to see them.”

Like Kagome.

“How is Tsuki doing?” he asked the question softly. “Is she adjusting okay?”

“She’s still a handful in a lot of ways, but I can see she’s improving little by little. She’s cute in her own way, you know?”

 She saw him smile a little. “Yeah, I know what you mean.”

Ayame turned away from him. “I promise I’ll keep her safe, no matter what.”

“Thank you.”

“Goodbye.”

That was all she could manage.

“Wait a second!” he called.

She stopped.

“Let me help you carry Rira back at least part of the way. I want to ask you something.”

****

Ayame had dropped Rira off with Kazuo. She trusted he would look after her while she went to check on the children.

Ayame could not believe what she was seeing. The usually brave little girl had curled into a corner. Her two friends were trying to comfort her, but it didn’t seem to be working.

“She’ll be back,” Kamaru said. “You’ll see. Don’t cry.”

Wait, she was crying? Ayame had only ever seen Tsuki cry once, and that was over being left behind.

Did she really mean that much to the little girl?

 “Tsu-chan!”

“Anee-chan! You came back!”

The little girl leapt into her arms then.

So this was what it felt like to be missed.

 “Did you-did you find our leader?” Tsuki asked.

“I did. He killed the demon–eater with his own hands.”

Both boys grinned at that. “See, Tsuki? I told you not to worry about him,” Kamaru remarked.

“Is he still in the area?” she asked. She then answered her own question. “Probably not. He doesn’t like to stay in one place very long.”

I want to see you.

That’s what she was saying.

“Tsu-chan, come with me for a second.”


	34. Stay

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kouga wants to stay in the area for a bit.

“Hey Ayame, could I see Tsuki?” he asked.

So that’s what he wanted to ask her about.

Ayame looked away. “She told me she didn’t want to see you until she became a real lady.”

He had to change his approach if he wanted to get anywhere with this.

“Please, tell Tsuki that her Aniu wants to see her.”

He’d used the word. She’d respond to it, she had to. It was her term for him. She hadn’t forgotten that, had she?

He saw Ayame smile a little. “I’ll tell her that. Wait right here.”

Kouga sat down on an old log.

He’d left Tsuki behind for her own sake. She had a chance to grow up, a chance at a normal life. Yet, the way things were going, she might forget him.

It was alright, though; she seemed to be getting along just fine with Ayame. The arrangement had been for Ayame’s sake, too.

Who was he kidding? It wasn’t alright. The distance he put between himself and the people he loved was slowly getting larger and larger.

At this rate, he’d be lucky if he got even a fraction of that feeling of connection back.

 Ayame was back. She was carrying Tsuki in her arms.

Tsuki actually came with her.

He was determined not to lose this moment.

Tsuki seemed hesitant to be let down. Not that he blamed her; he hadn’t seen her since he dropped her off. For all he knew, she hated him for that.

Yet, she slowly walked towards him.

She looked different.

Her hair was shorter than it had been when he left her, but it was also a little styled. She’d grown, too. It wasn’t much, but she still looked bigger.

“Hi, Leader.”

“Hi, Tsuki.”

“I’m guessing you wanted to tell me you’re not going to come pick me up for awhile?”

That stung.

“That’s not why I called you at all. I mean, it’s sort of true, but I just… I wanted to make sure you were okay first. That monster killed a lot of demons in the area so…”

She smiled at him then. It was her warm, cute smile.

“I was fine.” She glanced over at Ayame.“She’s been taking real good care of me.”

“I can tell. You’re becoming quite the little lady.”  
  
 “Ah! You really think so?” she asked eagerly.

There, he’d busted that hurdle down with a vengeance.

He patted her head. “Yeah, I do.”

He missed this easy feeling of just sitting and talking with his sister about unimportant things.

“Kouga. The other leaders were thinking about holding a meeting. Would you please take a few days from your quest to stay with us and discuss what should be done next?”

Kouga thought for a moment. “Sure. I can spare a few days. I’d like to get my bearings after that fight, anyway.”

Tsuki’s eyes lit up when he said that.

That last part was a lie, but the looks on both their faces told him they wanted him to stay.

So he would stay, if only for a few days.

 

 


	35. The Meeting of the Leaders

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kouga attends a meeting.

Meetings were very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, boring. He tried to avoid them as much as possible, but he had the misfortune of not being able to get out of this one because Ayame was accompanying him. She had asked him to try and be a bit more diplomatic in his approach to solving problems.

He pointed out to her that diplomacy only seemed to work in the female-only tribes. In the male tribes, if some guy didn’t like what was going on, someone else got punched in the face.

Matters of opinion were often settled by who was stronger than whom.

In attendance was Ayame’s sister, Rira, who oversaw a female-only clan of wolves due west. There was also Kazuo, from the south, and Tsume, the leader of the north.

Rira was leaning heavily on Kazuo. Kouga was surprised she even had the strength to walk.

Each one described the state of their respective clan.

Tsume made no effort to hide his disdain as he lamented all that had happened to his fine tribe of warriors because of “some young leader’s” lapse in judgment.

Where had Tsume been during the attack?

 Kouga tried to keep calm. It was like he said, if someone didn’t like something, someone else got punched in the face. It seemed he was the target this time.

“Because I lost so many capable young men, I need to produce more boys. Rira, lend me some of your best females.”

“No way! We’re nowhere near the right season. Besides, we’re not breeding stock for your connivance!” Rira snapped.

Her breathing was off.

“Rira, please take it easy,” Kazuo said. “I don’t think this is the appropriate time for that, Tsume.”

“You want to start something, wimp? You think that just because she’s the Elder’s granddaughter, that will save her from her role?” he grabbed her arm tightly.

Kouga saw Rira winch and Kazuo twitch. So, Tsume was still a bully, huh? He was picking on Rira, who was still recovering from her fight with the specter.

“Don’t hurt her!” Kazuo cried.

Tsume ignored him.

“Tsume,” Ayame said in a strong tone. “Let go of my sister.”

“Make me, oh precious eldest granddaughter of the Elder.” He challenged. “If you don’t do something fast, I’ll break her little arm like a twig.

“Very well,” she said.  She caught her fist in her hand. A swarm of leaves came towards Tsume. He attempted to block with his arms, but could not stop them all.

Kazuo, of all people, was trying to hold Tsume back. Maybe he was braver than Kouga gave him credit for.

Well, on the bright side, that scuffle ended the meeting.

“What happened to diplomacy, Ayame?” Kouga asked. He could not stop himself from grinning.

“That was different! He was threatening her!” she said with a huff.

“Sure it was. Hey Rira, you alright?” he asked.

Her arm was bruised pretty badly, but she still managed to smile. “There’s never a dull moment when you’re a leader, is there?”

Nope.


	36. Play with Me!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tsuki wants to play.

Adults did not play.

Adults had to work.

Leaders had to attend boring meetings and talk about depressing things.

Yet, he kept getting tugged at by a little hand that wanted his attention.

He knew what she wanted.

She wanted to play with him.

She was trying to be discreet about it. After all, they were surrounded by adults who would probably call him immature for doing something so un-leader-like as playing games in this time of crisis.

Forget that!

He scooped Tsuki up and placed her on his shoulders.

He didn’t think Ayame would mind if he borrowed her for a few hours.

“Hey, Kamaru, Manaku, we’re going!” he called.

“But where are we going, leader?” Kamaru asked.

He grinned. Those kids were in for a surprise.

***

He was right. Ginta and Hakaku were close by. They weren’t exactly happy to learn that he had been staying with the Elder’s tribe for the past few days. Apparently, the two of them had been looking for him.

But their tunes changed slightly when they saw he’d brought the kids with him.

He was right about one thing, Ginta and Hakaku had missed the kids as well. Everyone looked happy to see one another alive.

“Kouga, why did you bring them?” Hakaku asked.

“We’re all going to play a game.”

“A game?” his two friends asked together.

“Really?” Kamaru asked eagerly. “You hear that, Manaku?”

Manaku grinned.

“Yay! Let’s play! Let’s play!” Tsuki exclaimed.

Yes, times were bad right now, but what mattered was that those closest to him survived. They could still share these little moments of chasing each other around and having a good time.


	37. Kouga and Kazuo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The East leader and the South talk.

Well, this was an odd scene that he had walked into. Kazuo was watching over Rira as she slept.

“What are you doing?” Kouga asked.

Kazuo looked startled. “Shh! She’s sleeping! Poor Rira. She got so beat up and then Tsume had to go and bully her like that.”

“You protected her back there, didn’t you?” Kouga remarked.

The remark did not change Kazuo’s mood.

“You fought for your position as leader, correct?” Kazuo asked.

Where did that come from?

“Yeah. It was a tough fight, too. How did you manage to win yours? You don’t _look_ that strong.”

 Kazuo hung his head. “I’m not. I inherited the position from my father after he passed away. He was such a wise and kind leader. I don’t think I’ll ever live up to his standards.”

Kazuo always had been a bit of a pushover.

They were both leaders, but their leadership styles were vastly different.

Kazuo did not like conflict; he tried to rationalize his problems and resolve them fairly.

That made him a sissy by most standards.

Yet, something about how he ran things seemed to work. His tribe seemed considerably well off. Even after the attack, his southern clan had the most survivors.

Kouga was always forced to break up some kind of stupid fight.

But, being that nice wasn’t his style. He worked hard for his position, he wasn’t about to have it taken from him.

He watched Kazuo tend to Rira with the utmost care.

“Are you in love with her or something?” he asked.

Kazuo stiffened. “Was it that obvious? People say I’m not good at hiding my feelings.”

How did this guy manage to not get the snot beat out of him by every other male in his tribe?

 “Are you going to tell her?” he asked.

 Kazuo grinned. “Once she’s better, I will. I don’t want to miss my chance again; so I’m going to watch over her. She doesn’t seem to mind that I’m doing it. Thank you for saving Rira’s life, Kouga.”

“Don’t praise me too much. With her hair down like that, I thought she was Ayame. Before I knew it, I was running for her. I just reacted.”

The words just sort of slipped out of his mouth.

“Well, I’m glad you did. Ayame will be glad to hear that, too.”

Kouga paused. “Are you going to tell her I said that?”

“No. I think you should, but it’s your choice.” Kazuo sighed. “There was one good thing to come out of this horrible mess. I’m got to meet my little sister.”

“You have a sister?” Kouga asked.

“Yes. She was sent to the female-only tribe in the south to be raised by my mother. We ran into each other when she got separated from her attendants.”

Kouga paused. On that night that the old witch came to his tribe, was she looking for his father to ask what to do with the girl whose mother had been spirited away?

Was that how it was supposed to work?

 Now that he thought about it, their family had never been typical.

For one thing, his father and mother stayed together at all times. There was none of that male-only female-only, “gathering at certain times of the year,” nonsense.

“If you loved someone, you should stay with them.” That’s what his father always said.

 The three of them walked on as a single unit.

He always assumed it was because they never had a pack in his early childhood, but now it seems that wasn’t the case at all.

“To tell you the truth, Kouga, I’m a little jealous of you.”

That remark caught him off guard.

“Why?” he asked.

“I know it’s odd and I know a lot of the elders don’t like it much, but the bond you and Tsuki have is strong, don’t you think? With my sister, I’ll meet her for a few days, and then when this settles down, she will go back to my mother until… Anyway, I may not see her for years at a time, but with you two, it’s different.  She actually wants to see you.”

If Kazuo were anybody else, Kouga would have brushed off his remark with a laugh and an offhanded remark about Tsuki being a weird-talking little brat.

“Tsuki’s a good kid at heart. I think she deserves better than what I can give her, but I don’t want her to go to anybody else. We’re family. ”

“If you marry Ayame, what will happen to her then?”

 He hadn’t thought about that.

Kouga glanced outside.

A petite girl with gray fur was escorted by a larger girl with black fur.

“Oh, hi Miho,” Kazuo remarked.

“Hello, Aniue. Do you mind if I talk with you for a moment?” the girl said.

He figured Kazuo wouldn’t mind if he let them be.


	38. Something to Chase

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Why Kouga can't stay.

These easy days were a nice change, but Naraku was still out there somewhere.

 Naraku could still come after him.

Naraku could come after those that survived, after those closest to him.

If that happened, he might not be able to protect them.

Naraku wanted the shards in his legs.

He’d been asked many times why he didn’t just get rid of those shards.

If he did that, he would lose his speed.

Some of his strength would probably go, too.

If that happened, some bozo could take advantage of his weakened state and challenge him.

If he could not fend said bozo off…

He’d lose his position.

His sister could lose her life. No, she would; she surely would.

He’d lose all the respect he’d worked so hard for.

He’d lose everything.

Let the others think what they wanted of him. As long as Naraku was somewhere, he had a reason to run after him. For the sake of his men and for his own sake, he would keep chasing that demon.

He sighed. He couldn’t stay here anymore.


	39. Two Lives

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He ruined their lives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Connects to Ayame’s Ideals

A wolf entered the dark cave. “I don’t know how to say this to you, Lady Ayame, but Kouga has died.”

Ayame put her hands to her mouth. She remained quiet for a long time.

“How did he die?” she asked.

“It was the Naraku demon, so I’ve been told.”

“So he didn’t avenge them after all,” she whispered.

“No. He didn’t.”

“Idiot,” she said.

“Sis, what are you going to do?” Rira asked. “The clans need direction.”

“I know that. I’ll marry Tsume, like grandfather suggested.”

“No way!” Rira protested. “Sis, you can’t really be thinking about this seriously?”

“Rira, please make sure that Tsu-chan is looked after in one of the female tribes.”

“She won’t go. She’ll want to stay with you. She’s as stubborn as her leader when she wants to be.”

“I know, but if she stays with me, it will be miserable for her. All that I’ve tried to teach her would be wasted as soon as we entered the north. I can’t subject her to that.”

“You still love him, don’t you, Sis? That’s why you agreed to take her in.”

“It’s because I still love him that I cannot let her suffer with me. Rira, please marry Kazuo. I know you adore him. You should catch that happiness while you have the chance. Don’t make my same mistake.”

“Your mistake? He was the careless one! He let a perfectly worthy girl pass him by!  Didn’t he realize that even if he returned, nothing would be exactly as he left it? Now you’ve got to marry that jerk because he couldn’t man up to his promise and was stupid enough to get himself killed! It’s not fair! Why should I be allowed to be happy over you? I wasn’t even supposed to live past the flower test, so why…?”

“I’m the eldest. I need to make sure my little sisters are properly taken care of.”

“You’re calling that brat he brought for you to babysit your sister? She’s not even blood!”

Ayame slapped Rira.

“He was careless, but for a different reason then what you said. Can’t you see it, Rira? His foolishness is right beside us, asking us to forgive it, nurture it, and turn it into something worthwhile, something to be proud of.”

“Yes. I’m sorry, Sis. I spoke out of line. He just he makes me so mad! He’s ruined two lives!”

***

“Thank goodness you’re awake. You were out for three whole days.”

That was Kagome’a voice.

That’s right. The fight with Ginkoutsu left him weak.

Was that scene just a dream?

Or maybe….

No, he would not let that happen. He would come back. One day, he would come back.

 

 


	40. Yours to Take

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kouga finds the Goraishi.

It was a legendary weapon only talked about in stories. Nobody had ever succeeded in taking it from the graveyard. It was supposedly guarded by a great three-headed wolf and the souls of men who died valiantly.   
  
If it was true, it was not something to take lightly. Anyone with the wrong intention would be burned to a crisp.   
  
It sounded interesting at least. Who knows? It might be able to help him in his quest.   
That settled the matter. As long as he explained his reason, he should be able to persuade the guardian to let him take the thing.   
  
The Goraishi would belong to him.


	41. Their Lives

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Would he save them?

The three-headed wolf had offered him a choice.  He could take the Goraishi or save the lives of his friends.

He saw the flames and knew what he had to do. It wasn’t even a contest.

He ran as fast as he could.

If he was slow, they would get burned alive.

Those two, they had stuck with him from the very beginning.

They were much weaker than he was, but they were his friends.

They were always his friends, even when he couldn’t admit it to them.

Right now, he didn’t care. He would save them from that fire!

He grabbed onto them and jumped onto a nearby ledge.

He would tell that guardian just what kind of person he had messed with by threatening his friends!


	42. The Will of the Dead

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The spirits of the Goraishi have a wish.

His new weapon was talking to him.

_Young warrior, we will protect you from the will of she-who-should-not-be-in-this-world. It is the maiden’s wish._

The maiden? Did he mean the Maiden of the Moon? She was looking out for him?

Better try to stay on her good side.

_Our will is yours to use, young warrior, so long as respects are paid._

 “I promise I will put this power to good use,” he said.

_And after you finish this quest?_

 He hadn’t thought that far ahead.

“Do you guys want to pass on?” he asked.

_No. We must continue to protect the maiden from he-who-wishes-her- away._

“What’s so special about this Maiden of the Moon, anyway?” he asked.

_She speaks to the likes of us, sings our praise and shares our pain…. Her voice gives us will. It has always been and always will be. He wishes to use her voice for his own selfish wish._

“So why did I get this?” he asked.

_Most would not pick the lives of their fellow man over the ultimate power of the wolf clan. Most would not chew out the guardian for choosing to harm ones friends. Only one other man had enough heart and courage to choose life over the weapon, but the fool refused the take the weapon, even when we approved of him. He wanted to protect his loved ones with his own hands. You share his blood; it would seem that this is your inheritance._


	43. Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He's still alive.

He always thought that if he were to die, it would be gloriously in the name of his friends and comrades.

His friends would tell the tale of the great and noble young leader who gave his all for his men.

If that was how it was supposed to be, why had he survived?

How had he survived?

That stupid half-demon, that’s how.

If this were any other time, he would have rather let whatever it was just kill him instead of letting a half-demon save him.

Yet, somehow dying for his friends didn’t seem all the glorious anymore.

How were the men who prided themselves on being strong going to take it when he showed his face to them?

They would probably call him weak.

But he was alive.

He might even lose his position as a leader.

But he was alive.

He glanced over to where the monk was. His friends… in the end they followed him again, of their own accord.

You can’t bribe or bully that kind of loyalty.

Things were becoming clearer to him now. When had this happened? Was it because he brushed so closely with death?

It was decided. He would make the best he could out of his newly acquired life.

He was going to go home.


	44. Companionship

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Backtracking can be fun with friends.

It felt strange to backtrack like this.

He’d come a long way in his travels.

He’d experienced things he never thought possible.

Yet, in the end, he was going home.

Perhaps it was his fate to survive after all.

His friends were surprisingly at ease about trekking back with him.

They had come to get him.

They talked a lot as they walked.

So many memories.

Some, he remembered fondly.

Others, he would rather forget about entirely.

Yet, even through all that, he had never been lonely.

They had been with him from day one of this failed quest.

He would not forget this.

He would not forget his friends.

He would not forget this journey home.


	45. Bride

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rira wants to know where Kouga stands with Ayame.

“What do you want, Rira?” Kouga asked. “Why did you call me all the way out here?”

“I needed to talk to you alone,” Rira said. “Kouga, I want you to think _really_ hard about how you feel about my sister.”

She sounded slightly on edge.

“Why? Is the old man bugging her about the arranged marriage or something?” he asked.

He said the wrong thing. He could tell by the look on her face.

“Is this a game to you? If you don’t marry her, she’s obligated to go north to be Tsume’s bride.”

This was new.

“When did this happen?” he asked.

“It was discussed a little before that specter attacked us. With you gone, the north tribe seemed the strongest.”

“Did she offer to go?” he asked.

“No. At least, she didn’t with her heart.”

Now he was confused.

“My sister is a very loving person. She’ll do things for other people without so much as batting an eye. That should be obvious to you, shouldn’t it? Ever since you brought those kids to her, she’s basically been raising them for you like a mother would, _especially_ that little girl. Or hadn’t you noticed how much of a metamorphosis she’s gone through since you left her with us?”

It was true. He just asked Ayame to look out for the kids until he came back or they came of age. The transformation of his sister had been a strange, yet welcomed sight. She was still the same spunky girl he remembered, but she was also calmer, more at peace with who she really was. He owed that entirely to Ayame’s teachings. He couldn’t have done something like that on his own.

“I don’t want you to think of this in terms of a debt, but please, if you have no ill will towards her, please consider engaging yourself to my sister officially. She loves you, even after everything you put her through.”

Rira’s voice was breaking.

“I really…. I don’t want to see her go North. Tsume’s not bad, but…”

Yes he was. He was a coward when it mattered and a bully when it didn’t. That guy made no effort to help when the Elder’s tribe had been attacked. He made no effort to join the combined clan.

“Don’t worry. I’ll talk to your old man about it. If she still wants to go ahead with it, I’ll agree to become engaged to her officially.”

Rira looked like she was about to cry.

“Thank you.”

“What about you, will you be alright?” he asked.

“I’m… already married, actually.”

Wait, what?

“To who?”

“Kazuo of the South. He proposed to me on the night of the Star Ceremony.”

So Kazuo actually managed to get the words out.

“Was it the old man’s idea?”

Rira shook her head. “No. Kazuo’s act was his own and I accepted on my behalf. Grandpa was nice enough to wave the rule stating that the older sister must marry first. I’m not trying to force you into this. I just… wanted to allow my sister the same chance at happiness that she gave me.”

Huh?

“Do you really think I’d make her happy?” he asked.

“Honestly, I’ve never understood what it is she sees in you, but I can tell you’re not a bad guy. You can’t be if those kids spoke so well of you even after you left them behind. Besides, if you were a bad guy, I’d have beaten the crap out of you a long time ago for messing with my sister’s heart as much as you have. Yes, I think you’d make her happy. I hope she does the same for you.”

Political reasons aside, he really did like Ayame. She was kind, but also had proven to be very capable. Tsuki also seemed to be very attached to her, too. If he was going to marry anyone, his sister had to be accounted for as well.

“How should I tell her all this?” he asked.

“Just tell her honestly. Only, it might be nice if you tell her under the old cheery tree.”

“Cherry tree?” he repeated.

“It’s where our parents first met. She always said she wanted to be proposed to under that same tree. I think she was just a little bit jealous that Kazuo did it to me first.”

With that, she left.

He’d make her happy, huh?

 

 


	46. Insults

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kouga's big brother instinct goes into overdrive.

He had always tried his hardest not to let the words of others get to him.

His own reputation wavered between others thinking he was being noble or just being stupid.

 He could handle those who thought he was reckless, immature, or too dumb to live.

But when that group of boys called his sister, “A weirdo that no one in their right mind would pick for a bride.”

Something inside of him just snapped.

Maybe it was because a lot of her rougher nature came from his teachings.

Maybe it was because he saw how upset she got at realizing she’d never truly be like the other girls

Ayame would not approve of this, but he didn’t care.

Even if his actions towards them would make his reputation worse, they would know the wrath of her Aniu.


	47. Little Leader

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kouga finally realizes who had been taking care of his clan while he was away. Takes place after Ayame's "Little War Game."

When Kouga heard from Ayame that Tsuki had fought with Taro again, he was surprised. He was even more surprised when he heard that she handled the matter like a leader would.

“She acted as a little leader for your men in your absence, didn’t you know that?” Ayame asked.

No.

He had to set this straight. He gathered up his men. “Explain this ‘little leader’ thing to me,” he said.

“Oh right, we let her do it.”

“What?” Kouga exclaimed.

“Well, she is your sister. Because you two are blood, she outranks us,” one of his men said.

“She’s just a little kid! Great, I’m probably the laughingstock of the whole freaking mega-clan because of this,” Kouga muttered.

“Boss, if you want to know what I think, I think… she did a good job for her age. Sure, she doesn’t have a lot of experience with the adults, but she does have good qualities. She… She actually tried to keep us together as a clan. Under her, it felt like we were a family again.”

She’d managed to do that with all those rowdy men?

“If I may, boss; everyone knew she wasn’t doing it for herself or even because it was expected of her because of her rank,” another said. “She did it for you. She wanted you to keep being the leader, even if you weren’t actually here. That’s just the kind of person she is. We see that now.”

She did all that for him?

“Yeah, it was a little awkward at first to be taking barking orders from a little girl who shouldn’t have been in a male clan, let alone the leader of it, and others did laugh about it, but that stopped when they saw she wasn’t going to cry and run away. Besides, we looked out for her in our own way.”

Wait, what?

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“We knew you’d never forgive us if anything happened to her, especially not after that near trade incident with the north clan.”

That was right.

Someone must have seen his face, because another cut in before he could react. “Boss, we were starving back then; we were really desperate. Tsume offered us so much food for her and it’s not like she was big enough to do much contribution…”

Someone was going to get punched.

“Because of that mistake,  we’ve always tried to look out for her when Lady Ayame couldn’t, and we all try to support her becoming a respectable lady, even if she yells at us like a man would when she’s mad at us. We figured you would want us to cheer her on. Because like it or not, until you returned, she was to be our little leader.”

He really misjudged the tenacity of that kid.

“But you are going to be taking the title back from her, yes?”

“No. I’m going to continue to let my kid sister run my part of the clan,” Kouga remarked. His men looked horrified. “Of course I’m going to take the title of leader back, you morons!”


	48. The Competition

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kouga can still run.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Takes place after Ayame's Breaking Point.

Once every year, the clans got together for an endurance test.  Each clan would pick a member to compete in the various competitions. Even the children could give it a try.

Tsuki was going to enter the children’s speed competition.

 To his amazement, she was pretty fast.

She looked like she was enjoying the run.

Now that he didn’t have his shards, how fast was he?

Maybe he would compete, but first, he wanted to see how well she did.

She and a boy from the south clan were neck and neck. Something changed in her when she saw that he was there, she pushed herself harder. By the end of the race, she had all but collapsed beside him.

“Did you see me run?” she asked through ragged breaths. “Did you?”

“Yeah. You surprised me, kid. I never knew you had it in you.”

She beamed at him. “That boy from the south didn’t believe me when I said our clan was good at running!”

Did it really mean that much to her?

He handed her over to Ginta and Hakaku. When they asked him where he was going, he simply said, “to run.”

Even without his shards, he still had it in him.  His legs still felt heavy, but to his immense pride, he could still outrun them.


	49. Smile

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kouga can tell something is off with Ayame.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Takes place after Ayame's "Hiding the Truth."

Something was off with Ayame.

He was by no means an expert at this sort of thing, but something was eating her form the inside, he could tell that much.

Yet, she still continued to smile at him as if nothing was wrong.

Why?

Was something wrong with her sister, or maybe the Elder?

He tried to bring it up a few times, but she wouldn’t talk to him about it.

Did she not trust him with this information?

Maybe.

He hadn’t exactly been trustworthy in the past.

But things were different now.

Could she not see his honest efforts?

Maybe he was reading into this wrong.

Maybe it was nothing to worry about.

If that was true, then why did everything about her seem so forced as of late?


	50. His True Feelings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kouga tries to be honest with Ayame.

“Hey, Tsuki, have you noticed anything strange going on with Ayame recently?” Kouga asked.

“Anee-chan does seem a little sadder these days,” Tsuki remarked. She eyed him. “Aniu, you didn’t do anything to make her cry, did you? If it’s your fault, I’ll kick you in the shins!”

“What’s with that attitude all of a sudden?” he asked.

“You have to be the one to notice these things about her; you can’t always rely on me just because I’m a girl. Though, I might be able to give you a little hint.”

“I’ll take a hint.”

“Have you told her how you feel about her yet?”

“I’m engaged to her…”

“Aniu, if that’s honestly the best you can do, I swear I’ll punch you in the face until your fangs fall out!” Tsuki snapped.

That was…. different. He hadn’t seen that part of her since before he left on his revenge quest.

“I really… I love Anee-chan, almost as much as I love you, I don’t want her to get hurt, especially not by you of all people!” she continued. “I know you’re a better person than that!”

“This kind of thing, it matters to the ladies?” he asked.

“Yeah, it does,” Tsuki said gently. “They’ve already started to gossip that your proposal was a sham. It wasn’t, right? You meant what you said to her under the cherry tree, didn’t you, Aniu?”

She seemed much more attached to this sort of thing than she used to be. She almost looked like she would cry.

“Of course I meant it. I guess I just have to say it again,” he said. “Thanks for helping me out, runt!” 

“Good luck!” Tsuki called.

***

He began the conversation slowly. He could not mess this up. He was on thin enough ice already.

“You see the truth is…..” he began.

“Yes?” Ayame asked.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry I made you feel so bad before. If that’s what’s been bothering you this past week, I’m really sorry.”

“What?” she said the words softly, as if she never expected him to say anything like that.

“It’s just…. I didn’t want you to put your whole existence into me if I didn’t come back for you!”

Silence.

“I guess I can understand that, but it was still cruel, Kouga. What about Kagome? Do you still love her?”

It would not be wise to lie to her.

“Yes, a little, but, she’s not mine to fight for anymore. Besides, I, um, I still like you and um, maybe we could try to patch things up between us while still being engaged?”

Another awkward pause.

 “I’ll go along with that, but know this, Kouga, I’m not going to be a replacement for Kagome. If you come to love me, love me for who I am, not who I am not.  I don’t want to waver in her shadow.”

“I’d never ask you to replace her!” he exclaimed.

His volume disturbed the quiet. Had he just broken everything?

Yet, she smiled a little bit before she turned to leave.

He had been honest with her. Hopefully, things could turn out better because of it.


	51. The Flower Test

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tsuki gets ready for the Flower Test.

Tsuki was whisked away from him as soon as they had both gotten up in the morning.

“The little miss needs a lot of preparation for tonight’s ceremony,” the wolf woman said.

Tonight was the flower ceremony, huh?

What was that thing about, anyway?

Maybe he’d ask Ayame.

“I can’t talk right now, Kouga. I’ve got a lot of work I need to do to get Tsuki ready.”

“How come you’re doing it?” he asked.

“To everyone here, I’m her Anee-chan. I want to be the one to make her presentable for the crowd. Or do you think you could do it?”

“No way! I have no idea how to handle girly things!” he said. “Ayame, do your best with her, okay? I know she can be troublesome when it comes to things like this.”

“I’ll be fine. She’s a good girl for me.  I’ll make her shine as bright as Miho.”

He decided it might be best to ask Rira.

“What do you want, Kouga? I’m going to be helping Tomoe.”

“You too?” he asked. “Aren’t you pregnant? Won’t that strain you?”

“It might, but Tomoe doesn’t have anyone else to mentor her and make her presentable. Sis is busy with Tsuki and Miho’s got the whole southern female clan attending to her. Nobody will touch Tomoe because she has no rank.”

“Except for you,” he said.

“Let’s just say I’ve got a soft spot for the girl everyone ignores. Miho’s the favorite, hands down, but apparently those two also have potential.”

 “Potential for what?” he asked.

“To become the next Maiden of the Moon,” Rira said. “Or did you not know our Moon God plays favorites?”

“No, I did not know our Moon God played favorites,” Kouga scoffed. “I thought it was just some dumb ceremony where they got their sacred flower and then came home.”

“You only get to come truly home if he rejects you. If he chooses you, you have to train and then live the rest of your life wondering when he’ll call you up to the moon.”

“He calls them up to the moon?” he repeated.

“To be his bride and sooth the poor dead souls of his realm,” Rira finished. “Yes, we’ll lose one of our girls, but it’s a great honor.”

_The guilty and regretful souls of wolves are destined to be born again in the Land of Pain. Those who try to sooth them are called witches of the wolf tribe. Once the witches are summoned by the Wolf of the Moon, they are never seen again._

“Wait a minute…” he began. “The Maiden of the Moon soothes the dead?”

_Young warrior, we will protect you from the will of she-who-should-not-be-in-this-world. It is the maiden’s wish._

The souls in the Goraishi had mentioned her before!

But that would mean that the maiden had already been decided!

The maiden had protected him… why?

Because she was waiting for him to come back.

No.

She wouldn’t have.

 Yet, it all made sense now. The willingness of the dead to help him, his safe return, even his patched up relationship with Ayame. She was trying… to make sure he was happy.

Why?

Because she was leaving.

He had to stop it!

“Rira! You and Ayame were candidates for the title once, right? How did you two get rejected?”

“That’s a rude thing to ask!” Rira scoffed.

“Please.”

“Nobody knows why he picks someone or doesn’t,” Rira said. She laughed a little. “You remember when we were kids and you followed us up the mountain during our test?”

“Yes.”

“You remember what you told my sister then?”

He flushed. “Yeah, I remember that.”

“Good, because if you denied it again, I’d have to punch you for being an idiot,” Rira said. “Sis thinks it was your childhood promise that saved her from that fate. She held it very close to her heart, so close in fact that I doubt even the Moon God could touch her. As far as any of us know, you did save her from that fate, but it’s not a fact.”

“What about you?”

“I was too weak. My body couldn’t handle the strain of the tests the old witch Takara put us through as children. She said he’d ‘never take me as his bride, but that I was far from being a useless burden.’ Those words allowed me to stay alive.”

“I see.”

 Rira glanced at him. “What’s eating you? Tsuki will be fine. She’s not really Maiden marital, if you ask me. Poor Kazuo, he never really got to know Miho in the end.”

“What are we supposed to do when they’re up on the mountain?” he asked.

“Wait and see who comes back down it. You can do that much can’t you? She waited months for you, after all. You can watch them perform their prayers, though, that’s allowed to be seen by men.”

“Prayers?”

“They sing for the God and the dead before they go look for their flower,” Rira said.

“Tsuki can’t sing!” he exclaimed.

“You’ve got that right. Sis has had a lot of trouble with teaching her that art. She’s a much better dancer, but she’s not that bad of a singer for just having learned the art. In time, she’ll get better. I really need to go help Tomoe now. See you at the ceremony, Kouga.”

What was he supposed to do now?


	52. Slow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tsuki is taking too long.

He was trying to be patient and wait for her.

He was trying to fight the urge to climb the mountain himself and find her.

He was failing on both counts.

He had to think of something to keep his mind off the time.

“Hey, Ayame, what are the flowers for?” he asked.

“The flowers are used for training young ladies in different arts. Different flowers mean different things,” she said.

“What if she can’t find one?” he asked.

She was too boyish. She’d have no interest in flowers.

“Just wait. She’s waited months for you; you can wait a few more hours for her, can’t you?”

Yes, he could wait.

“Leader~!” a voice called.

Kai came running down the mountain with Miho and Tomoe behind him. He was out of breath and kept saying “I’m sorry,” over and over again.

“For what?” he asked.

“Tsuki-chan… she… she’s gone!” Tomoe sobbed.

Gone?

“Gone? What do you mean gone?” he asked.

“She was... chosen,” Miho said. “I felt it.”

 “I tried to pull her back down, but he was stronger than me!” Kai said.

He?

“What exactly happened?” he asked.

Kai relayed what he had witnessed. The man on the mountain, the conversation with her, his wings. He taken Tsuki with him.

 “Which flower did she pick?” Ayame asked.

“I don’t know… it was white. I think it was an Orange Blossom. I ran back as soon as I could to get you,” Kai said. “Please forgive my foolishness! I’m sorry, Lady Ayame, I know I was told not to follow the girls on their quest, but…..”

“You ruined everything, Kai! I was supposed to be the next maiden, not some stupid, gender-confused, uncultured brat!” Miho exclaimed.” He only took her away to punish you, stupid boy!”

“I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that venom-talk coming out of your pretty little mouth, Miho. Or did you forget that she’s my sister?” he asked.

“F-forgive me, Lady Ayame’s honorable husband,” Miho corrected. “I meant no disrespect to your kin.”

Yeah right.

“Don’t blame yourself, Kai,” Kouga said. “You wanted to protect her, right? So I’m not mad at you and I’m sure she’s not, either. Right now, you’re my only connection to her.”

“I’m going with you,” Ayame said.

“No you aren’t.”

“Yes I am,” she protested.

“This sounds really dangerous. I don’t want you to get hurt, okay?” he said.

“You need me, Kouga. I think I know where she is.”

“You do?” he asked.

“Yes. I think she’s with the God of the Moon in the Land of Pain.”

He paused. Wasn’t that just a story?

“Okay, that does it; you’re _really_ not coming along now,” he said.

“What, why?” she asked.

 He looked away from her. “I don’t want to talk about it, okay? Anyway, I need more information.”

“Right. We’ll go see Lady Takara.”

“That old witch?” he asked. “Isn’t she a little crazy?”

“She’s the best lead we have right now.”

“Stop saying ‘we;’ you’re not coming!” he said.

 


	53. Mother's Blood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kouga and Ayame go to the old wolf witch.

“Lady Takara, are you in?” Ayame asked.

“Hello, Ayeme,” the old woman said. “Why have you come to me?”

Those white eyes. I couldn’t possibly…

It was.

 “ _You_ ,” he exclaimed as he pointed.

“Hmm, aren’t you Chiyo’s boy?” Takara asked.

So she remembered him as well.

“My sister is missing,” he said. “And I think you know something about it.”

“That girl you so boastfully said you could raise on your own? She is not missing. I know exactly where she is. She was taken by our God of the Moon to the Land of Pain. He must have really liked Chiyo if he was that eager to spirit her young daughter.”

“Lady Chiyo- was your mother, Kouga?” Ayame asked in shock. “Tsuki’s too?”

“Yeah. Tsuki has mom’s eyes. Grey’s not a common color and she had mom’s scent. That’s how I knew she was my sister and nobody is going to convince me it’s not true. Though, when mom disappeared, I had no idea what the cause of it was. It was the God’s doing, wasn’t it?”

“She was the highly respected Maiden of the Moon for her willingness to pray for the dead. It was her fate to be called to the God when he wished it. She had no say in it. I told her it was foolish to fall for that man, but she defied me, just like you did when you stopped me from killing the girl she bore,” Takara said. “If he has called her to him, there is no hope in seeing her again. Don’t glare at me, young man! That is the fate of those who bear the title.”

“There has to be some way to reach her,” he said.

“There isn’t. Unless one of you dies or perhaps you will miraculously make it to hell. Tell me Kouga, did you willingly trade your sister’s soul for the power of the Goraishi?”

 “I dare you to say that again, old hag!” he snapped. “I would never use my sister as a commodity! For your information, I got this because I chose my friends lives over the weapon!”

“That was the test that was set up for you by the Maiden’s will,” Takara said. “The little Maiden spoke very highly of you, of your reason for revenge. The souls of the dead wanted to be sure you were someone they could serve without regret. You proved to be worthy of that power. Your continued protection was her bargain. A life gained for a life lost. It was in that moment that you received that weapon that you sealed her fate to take your place among the dead.”

No way…

“What if I got rid of the Goraishi?” he asked.

“You cannot do that. Even if you were to cut off your hand, the Goraishi would still be bound to you. The contract is final. The best thing you can do for her is to remember her fondly.”


	54. Lost Cause

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The truth hurts.

He was not normally one to cry. He had only done it a few times in his life. Once for his mother, shortly after she vanished, and another time for his father after he had been killed by the Birds of Paradise.

He had only been a child when he lost his parents. He was expected to cry for them at that age. As one got older, tears were less tolerated.

He prided himself in the fact that he could keep his emotions hidden from those who would not understand what he was really feeling. He never cried for the men he lost, not a single one. He used his anger to drive him forward.

But this… he couldn’t take this.

He had run a long way from the old hag’s den.

 He found a dark, quiet place to sit down and put his head against his knees.

 He could hear her voice.

_Aniu! Welcome back!_

Stupid mispronounced term.

That stupid little girl; she had sacrificed herself for his sake, his happiness.

That stupid little girl; her heart was too big for her own good.

Stupid, stupid, girl. He hated her for making him feel so horrible and helpless.

He never even got to say goodbye to her.

If anyone saw him like this, he’d beat them to a pulp.

He’d beat them for laughing at his tears.

Footsteps.

He kept his head against his knees.

If anyone asked, he was thinking. He wasn’t crying.

Only when he was sure of the scent did he look up.

Ayame stooped down to his eyes level. She put her arms around him.

The embrace was gentle, wordless.

He was able to calm down and wipe his eyes after awhile.

Part of him wanted to make up some excuse for the tears, but she’d see right through it.

“It’s not fair,” he said.

“I know.”

She was crying, too.

“There must be some way to get there,” He said

“Kouga, nobody other than the maidens has ever been able to reach the Land of Pain, let alone return from it.” Ayame said. “We’d need a way to reach the underworld. I’ll do what I can, but my powers aren’t strong enough for something like that.”

Wait, there was a way! It was risky, but it just might work!

“Ayame, I’m going on another journey.”

“To where?” she asked.

“To find InuYasha.”


	55. The Most Important

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Why Kouga doesn't like Kai.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Takes place around the same time as Ayame's "The Direction of the Village."

There was a sinking feeling in his stomach every time he watched Kai try so hard for Tsuki’s sake. He did his best to ignore it. He tried to tell himself it didn’t matter, that they were just kids.

Yet, it was so obvious.

That boy would not have chased his sister this far if he didn’t feel anything for her.

Part of him really hated Kai for it.

He hated the boy for tugging his sister away from him when he had just gotten her back.

Yet, when he thought about it logically, it hurt less.

It was better if she ended up with a nice boy.

Kai was a nice boy.

But then he remembered Tsuki was still young, too young to think about anything like that. Never mind that Kai was a few years older than her.

It wasn’t exactly an odd thing; most couples had an age gap of at least a few years.

Still, it irked him.

He’d gotten used to being the most important person in Tsuki’s life. He was not about to give up that title just yet.


	56. The Favor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kouga goes to InuYasha for help.

 

“Do you think he’ll really help us?” Ayame asked after awhile.

It was a long shot, but he didn’t know how else they were going to reach the Land of Pain.

“He’ll do it. He has to,” he assured her.

He was not looking forward to this.

He hadn’t seen any of them since he last departed. The only one he was even on friendly terms with was Kagome. With Ayame around, things might get…. complicated.

 Ayame glanced to the side. “If you need to use Kagome to persuade him, I won’t… get in your way,” she said gently. “It’s for Tsu-chan’s sake, so I won’t…”

 He took her hand. “My feelings for Kagome have passed.” She looked surprised. “…She always loved him. It’s useless for me to fight for something that will never be. Besides, it’s like you said, it’s for her sake.”

Well, this was the place. His stench was in the middle of a village full of humans.

He found him. He found InuYasha.

The two rivals stood before one another. Both looked a bit sullen and surprised to see the other.

“If you’re looking for Kagome, she’s not here. She went back to her own world.”

She’d left for her own world without even saying goodbye to him? He really… didn’t matter much, did he?

He couldn’t worry about that now.

“That’s not why I came here.”

“Kouga, the villagers are gathering,” Ginta warned.

“Then why did you come?” InuYasha asked.

“I need to talk to you, alone.”

The others looked surprised at this.

“Fine.”

InuYasha led Kouga into the house he was staying in.

“Alright, wimpy wolf, if it’s not Kagome, what’s this all about?”

“My little sister has been spirited away. In order to reach her, I need to use the power of your Meidou.” He bowed down to the floor. “Please, InuYasha, help me.”

“Get up off the floor, you wimpy wolf. Before I agree to anything, I need to know what exactly you mean by she was ‘spirited away.’  Do you have any idea where she went or why she was taken there?”

“She was taken to a place my people call the Land of Pain. It’s where the restless dead wander for eternity until they can be calmed by someone with a pure soul.”

 “So where is this Land of Pain?”

“I don’t actually know, but I think the kid does.”

“The kid?”

“Kai! Kouga called.

The young boy ran in. “Yes, Leader?”

“Tell him what you can see.”

 “Stop this, both of you. I’ll help you, alright?”

Kouga sat silent. Kai was the one to say it.

“Thank you! Thank you so much!  We have a chance. We really have a chance!”

“Why are you helping me? You barely know my sister,” Kouga asked.

“It’s what Kagome would have wanted me to do. Besides, you were my main problem, I never minded the girl.”


	57. Trying to Reach You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trying to Reach You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Connects to Ayame's It's a Trap! and Wound

“Ayame!” he called.

She was still alive, somehow.

But there was so much blood on her fur.

Her pretty white fur…

Her eyes looked dull.

She was going to fade soon. Normally, one said that the dying was going to the other side. The problem was, this _was_ the other side. What happened then? Was there an ever farther side than the other side?

What could he do? He didn’t want to have her die in his arms like this.

No, he didn’t want that at all. Yet, holding her seemed the best thing to do.

 “Please, you have to hang on! I don’t want to live with myself if you die like this.”

_Don’t worry._

Was that voice another trick?

“Tsuki, is that you? You can help Ayame, can’t you? Please…”

The Moon God had to be messing with him.

Yet, Ayame seemed to be in less pain.

It was not until that he was sure that the blood had stopped flowing that he decided to pick her up and carry her on his back. He’d carry her for as long as she needed him to.


	58. Papa's Wandering Soul

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the Land of Pain, Kouga meets his father again.

Once Ayame had mostly recovered they resumed their search more seriously. Wherever they were now was like a maze. 

“Kouga is that you?” a voice asked.

He remembered it. The long scar on his stomach, he could still recall the wound vividly.

“Dad?”

 His father grinned. “Well, I’ll be, it is you! Look at you! You’re a young man now, aren’t you? What are you doing here? You don’t look dead.”

“That God took someone important to me; I aim to get her back,” he said.

“Oh no, is the new maiden your girlfriend or something?”

“My girlfriend is right here, actually,” he said. “Dad, this is Ayame, Ayame, this is my father, Ryouga.”

“Hello,” Ayame said politely.

“Seriously? Hello, Miss Ayame! It’s a pleasure to meet you!  Huh, who did he take?”

“She’s my little sister, your daughter.”

“Daughter? You mean Chiyo actually managed to have the baby?” Ryouga asked in shock. He grinned. “A girl, huh? Too bad I never got to see her. Only, how in the world did she survive in a clan like that?”

“It’s a rather amusing story, actually,” Ayame said.

“Miss, did you raise her?”

“Not in her early years. I only started to help out recently,” Ayame said.

Ryouga looked at his son intently. “You didn’t?”

“And if I did?” Kouga answered.

“How did you manage pull _that_ off?” Ryouga asked.

“By pretending she was a boy, and becoming the new leader of our clan when I was strong enough.”

Ryouga gave a long whistle. “That was gutsy of you. Come to think of it, so is this. She must be really important to you. Kouga, can you tell me a little about my daughter?”

“Let’s see, she’s got black hair; it’s not too short or too long, and she has mom’s gray eyes. She’s on the small side, but she’s got a lot of spunk. She can take on boys much bigger than her, no problem! Like I said before, I raised her like a boy, so she still uses ‘boku’ when referring to herself. We’re still working on getting her to act more feminine. She seems to like girly things like dancing, though. She’s got kind of a bad mouth sometimes, but she’s also really cute and sweet. She’s a lot of things.”

“Did she have a name when you met?” his father asked.

“No. I named her. It’s Tsuki.”

“You named her after the moon?”

“Remember how you used to call mom’s eyes ‘moon eyes’? Like I said, she has mom’s eyes, so I named her after that.”

“That’s how Tsu-chan got her name?” Ayame asked. “That’s so cute!”

“So the God took her, huh? She’s only a pup, though, right? I guess she reminded the God of your mother. She was always his favorite maiden,” Ryouga remarked.

“Say WHAT?” Kouga demanded.

“Oh yeah, even back when we were together I knew that, but I pursued her anyway like an idiot. I guess that our relationship was kind of doomed from the start. She had the strongest spiritual power of any maiden before her, but I didn’t care about that. I just wanted to help make her happy. She always sounded so sad. Turns out she had been isolated from everyone because of her powers. In the end, the Moon God separated us again. I thought I might see her again in death, but I’ve been looking for years and never found a trace of her.”

“Dad, are you aware there’s a revolt in the works?”

“A revolt? Did one of the warriors plan that?”

Kouga grinned. “No, the God’s newest little maiden, that’s who.”

His father laughed heartily.  “Sounds to me like you did right by her, both of you did. It’s a rare case when both genders can agree to follow one person’s words. What’s the plan?”

“Kouga’s going to use the Goraishi to take down the God,” Ayame said. “That is the will of all the brides and warriors that have been trapped here.”

“So it chose you, huh Kouga?” Ryouga said. “I haven’t seen that thing in a long time, not since I turned it down.”

Kouga pasued. “Wait, _you_ turned the Goraishi down?”

“Yeah, a long time ago. I wanted to protect Chiyo with my own hands, not with some magic weapon. Though, that may have been foolish on my part. Now that I think about it, those souls probably wanted to revolt back then, too. They were trying to use Chiyo like they’re using… what was her name again?”

“Tsuki,” Kouga cut in.

“Tsuki, right. They must have wanted me to fill your role as the instrument to take on the God using the maiden’s will, but neither of us was interested in fighting a war. Too much of that was going on in our own lives. At the time, we were at war with the northern men. Death was supposed to bring peace, not more war.”

“Don’t worry. I plan to end this,” Kouga said.

“Let me help you,” Ryouga said. “I’ll join the other warriors’ souls and power the Goraishi. With any luck, I’ll get to see Chiyo again and maybe get to meet my little warrior girl!”

Ryouga changed his form into a ball of light and entered the Goraishi.

“Kouga, are you alright?” Ayame asked.

“I thought it didn’t hurt anymore. I guess I was wrong. I still sort of miss them. Vengeance is the only way to help them now, isn’t it?”

“Looks like it.”

“Alright Tsuki, I know what you want me to do, but where are you? You rotten kid! I’m not going to start this war of yours until I see for myself that you’re okay!”

“Um, Kouga, I think she heard you,” Ayame remarked.

A new passage way had opened up from the wall.

He grabbed Ayame’s hand. “Come on!”


	59. Unguarded apology

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kouga's side of what happens when they find Tsuki.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Takes place after Ayame's Stroke of Luck.

He hadn’t done a dive like that in a long time. His knees burned from the impact, but he’d managed to catch her. He could feel her squirming in his grip.

Her little heart was beating so fast.

“Are you going to start talking or am I going to have to guess what’s been going on in your head this whole time?”

He expected her to protest that he was holding her too tightly, to deny that she had done anything wrong by not saying anything at all when she knew she would be chosen, to smugly ask for praise because she managed to start a war for her own freedom.

Instead, she apologized.

It was soft, he’d barely heard it, but the words were unmistakable.

“I’m sorry if I worried you. Please don’t be mad at me.”

 He sighed. “I’m not mad okay? You just… you scared me a little, but I’m not mad at you. If I was mad, I wouldn’t have come after you like I did. Don’t you know that by now?”

“Kai-kun said you and Anee-chan were trying to find your way here. Only…”

“You didn’t think the God would let us in.”

She nodded.

“But I really…. wanted to see you both so badly. Even though I told myself  I was willing to let you both move on without me. I wanted…”

He hugged her close.

“You idiot. Don’t ever think that it’s okay for you to just disappear on me.”

“I won’t do it again,” she said.

“Good. Now tell me about this war of yours.”


	60. Leash

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kouga's going to make sure Tsuki doesn't try to run away again, even if it means he has to carry her around.

He did not put Tsuki down after catching her.

He simply put her up on his shoulders.

“You stay up there,” he said.

“I’m not going to run away!” she protested.

“You just tried to!”

“I said I was sorry,” she murmured.

“And I said I forgave you, but I don’t want you out of my sight. Now, where are these warriors?”

“Back that way. I just saw them. They were the ones who told me you two had arrived here. We should talk to them first; I left Kai-kun with the brides. He’s really good with them! He really saved me when it came to talking to them!”

“Did he now? Yeah, I guess we should pick him up, too,” he muttered.

“We’d better! I’m not leaving him behind!” Tsuki snapped.

“Right, right, calm down. I was just teasing. I’d never leave one of your comrades behind, you know that.”

 She smiled at him then.

“He’s my number one comrade!”

Oh great.

The cuteness in her voice when she said that was almost sickening.

Still, he could deal with that. As long as she was with him, he didn’t care what happened next.


	61. Tales of Woe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kouga's hears the warriors' side of things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Battle with the Moon God: After forming a plan (Little Warlords) and Tsuki chewing the God out,(All-Father) the attack on the Moon God officially begins.

The tales he heard from the dead warriors were hardly happy.

One was killed one the night he was supposed to get married to his childhood friend, because another man wanted her for himself.

Another was betrayed during a war and left to die.

Over and over, stories of loss and betrayal. How did the ladies stand listening to it?

“It’s expected of us to pity them,” was Ayame’s response.

Tsuki nodded. “The warriors wanted me specifically… our warriors wanted me.”

His dead men had been behind her choosing, not the God himself?

“Because she understands us,” said another dead soul. “Very few ladies understand a warrior’s life and values. Young warrior who holds the Goraishi, you have been chosen by our maiden to act as our champion. You have our power at your disposal; please help us leave this place of pain and sorrow.”

“I understand.”

Thousands of lost souls entered the Goraishi in a rush of light.

“Thank you, everyone,” Tsuki said softly. “Thank you for your strength.”

With this, he could take on anything.

 


	62. Chorus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The attack on the Moon God.

“Mr. Moon God! We’re going to sing your praise!” Tsuki said.

“We?” the God asked.

“That’s right, me and the other all the other maidens you’ve chosen are going to sing a song for you!”

For a moment, the God looked worried.

Kouga looked around. There were hundreds of them. They were all different; from their clan colors to their ages. Yet, Tsuki was able to keep them all focused, mostly.  They followed her voice, creating a wave of music aimed directly at the God.

The God looked sick, but the voices kept on singing.

He didn’t understand it, but it seemed to weakening the God.

“Stop!” the God cried.

No, it wasn’t the song that was hurting him, it was the feeling behind the song.

It was a hopeful, strong song. For a God that fed on the sorrow and pain of others, hearing about their joys and hopes must have hurt him somehow.

“Please stop…”

“Let us go!” Tsuki commanded. “All of us! These maidens who have made sacrifices for your sake deserve the same respect as your warriors who die in battle! You can’t just keep us here!”

“I’m beginning to hate you, little one. You’re as stubborn as any man I’ve ever met.”

“That’s a compliment!” she said. “Alright, everyone! Keep singing! Hold tight to what makes you happy and let it out loud and clear!”

_They remember us… our sacrifices weren’t in vain. Our wishes were the same after all.  
_

The Goraishi began to glow. _  
_

_Young warrior, use our power to tear that selfish God apart!_

“Gladly,” he said.

 

 


	63. Their Connected Wish

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The god battle continues.

The God looked amused as he charged forward. He was rather cocky for a guy who was weakened by a chorus of voices, still weak, the song showed no signs of stopping.

He’d wipe that smug look off his face.

This was the man who tore his family apart. Not just his father and mother, but his new family.

Naraku may have killed his men, but the God was keeping them trapped here.

It had been Tsuki’s wish to calm the dead so that he would return alive. She had sacrificed everything for that hope, even her life among the living. She wouldn’t even be in this mess if it hadn’t been for him. It wasn’t her responsibility to calm the dead men he had lost.

When the dead wished for her to lead them against the God, she answered that call, even though she was just a little girl, but had taught her well. If she was going to go down, she went down fighting, like a warrior.

He never imagined one child could get so much support. This power in his hand, it wasn’t just his; it was the will of the entire wolf demon race.

 _Young warrior who has inherited our power,_ _are you willing to forgive yourself?_

He still felt guilt about what had happened, but it no longer gnawed at him like it used to.  He had something to go back to now.  He had people who would not look down on him for his own weakness; he had people who cared about him so much…

He had something to protect.

And right now, his most precious people needed him.

The God was getting angry at them both, but he didn’t care. He kept coming after him with everything he had. 


	64. No Matter What

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kouga comes to a decision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Takes place after Kai's The War's End.

The God had lost the war, but not before pulling a dirty trick at the last moment.

 Tsuki had become voiceless and weak. She could barely move on her own.

It was his idea to carry her around on his shoulders until she gained her strength back. When he got too tired, Ayame would take over.  When they returned to the clan and she couldn’t do it, he was sure Ginta or Hakaku would help, too.

What if… she never fully recovered?

What if she could never speak again?

That didn’t matter.

At least she was alive.

At least she was still small enough that her weight didn’t matter.

At least everyone would be supportive, for now.

It would be harder as she got older.  She would be expected to carry her own weight in the clan.

If she could not, they would try to banish her.

If that happened, he would defend her. He knew Ayame would, too.

 He would not let anybody take her away from him again. No matter what.


	65. In a Perfect World

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kouga sees what happens if his parents had stayed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Connects to Ayame's Hand in Hand.

“Mama! You came back!”

That was him.

The much younger him, back before his world had been turned on its head.

This time, she came back. She came back with the baby in her arms.

“What’s that tiny thing?” his younger self asked.

“This is your sister. Her name is Chihiro.”

Chihiro?

Something tugged at him as he watched the memories of this world play out. In a perfect world, he had lost most of what he currently had.

Ginta and Hakaku, while they were still his acquaintances, they were hardly his friends.

Because he never had to worry about the fate of his sister, he never aspired to be anything other than a member of the hunting party.

He met Ayame through his mother as a child, but she outclassed him.

“I can’t believe the great lady Chiyo gave birth to someone so uncouth!”

And that was that.

“What’s wrong, Kouga? You seem troubled,” his mother remarked.

“This world, I don’t like it.”

“Oh?”

“That little girl, that’s not my sister. She speaks so softly, she addresses herself properly, she…”

“She’s too perfect,” his mother finished.

“Right. That’s not the girl I raised, those aren’t the friends I have, that’s not the woman I… fell in love with.”

“Hmm? You mean you’re in love with that cute little redhead?” she asked.

“Yeah, I am. The Ayame I know is just as stubborn as that little girl who rejected the me of this world, but she’s also a very loving person. She worries about everyone, save herself. I keep having to tell her to let me handle things once in awhile, but at the same time, I know she can take care of herself. She’s not a weak- willed person. She’s really… amazing, actually.”

 His mother smiled. “I’m happy that you found someone who made you feel that way. All I’ve ever wished for is the happiness of my children.”

“It’s tough sometimes, but we always get by in the end.”

“With their help, I suppose.”

Those two morons, he never realized how much they had done for Tsuki, how much they had done for him by always looking out for her when he could not. How when they traveled together, they were always worried about him.

“Tell your Tsuki her Mama says ‘thank you’.  Thank you for allowing me to live out such happy days with my family, even if it was only an illusion.”

“Mama…”

“Kouga, I’m proud of you. I’m proud of who you’ve become, who you’ve yet to be. I think… I’m ready to pass on now.”

“So, this is goodbye again?”

“Yes. I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s alright. I really hate this kind of thing anyway. I hope you’re happy wherever you’ll be, Mama.”

He was back in the Land of Pain.

Ayame rushed over and put her arms around him.

“Thank goodness! You disappeared so suddenly! I was scared the God took you away! What happened, Kouga?”

“I just talked with my mother, that’s all.”


	66. I've got your back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ayame wonders how she did that.

“Um, Leader, how are we going to get back home?” Kai asked.

Good question.

They had used InuYasha to get to the Land of Pain. How were they supposed to get back?

They couldn’t use Tsuki.  The God had made sure of that.

Would they be stuck here forever?

“Listen, do you hear that?” Kai asked.

“Hear what?” Kouga asked.

“Someone’s… singing.”

What?

“That’s… Rira’s voice,” Ayame said softly.

“How can her voice reach all the way here?” Kai asked.

“Rira’s like you, Kai-kun. She’s my link to the world of the living.”

Wait a minute!

They were twins.

Maybe if she and Rira combined their strengths….

***

When she awoke, her face was staring back at her.

“Welcome back to the world of the living, Sis!”

“How did we?” Ayame shot upright. “Where is everyone?”

“Kai’s with Shinta and Kouga took Tsuki with him to see Ginta and Hakaku. You’ve been asleep for a long time. That stunt you pulled took a lot out of you.”

“What stunt?”

“You don’t remember?”

“Well, no. I remember hearing your voice and then… darkness."

Rira grinned. “Oh, that’s rich.”

“Did I do something embarrassing or something?” Ayame demanded.

“Nah, nothing _too_ embarrassing.”

“You’re mean, Rira! Oh, you’re still pregnant?”

“What do you mean ‘still’? You’ve only been gone about three weeks! Besides, it won’t be long now.”

“Rira, thank you.”

“I wasn’t going to leave you all stranded in that place. I know I’m just the expendable one, but you’re my sister.”

Ayame hugged her. “You’ve never been expendable to me. If anything, this proves that we should always be kept together. Our combined efforts were pretty awesome, weren’t they?”

“Yeah, I guess they were. I missed you, Sis.”

“I missed you, too. It’s so nice to be home. Say Rira, did Kouga ever visit me when I was sleeping?”

Rira laughed. “Yeah. He’s been around a lot to check up on you. I don’t know what happened between you two, but he seems to have finally figured out his own feelings.”

Ayame blushed.

“So what _did_ happen?”

“Nothing scandalous!”

“I wasn’t talking about that; I was talking about in the Land of Pain. Did Tsuki really start a war?”

Ayame laughed. “You bet she did.”


	67. Kouga and Tsume

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kouga confronts Tsume after he kidnaps Tsuki.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Takes place after Kai's Kidnapping.

He was there, the well-built leader of the north tribe.

The coward who abandoned his men and left them to die.

The bastard who tried to have his men make a bargaining chip out of Tsuki.

And now he had tried to kidnap her.

Ayame seemed to sense the tension in the air. Yet, her voice was calm.

“Hello, Tsume,” she said.

Tsume ignored her.

“The weird little stray was really the Maiden of the Moon. You’re bloodline must be cursed, Kouga,” he said.

Kouga clenched his fist. The nerve of him!

“You know, if it weren’t for the persistence of that kid; I would have just taken her, but the little brat was able to hear her somehow.”

Kai had done that?

He drew his Gorashi out.

“So you did get it…” Tsume began.

“Yeah, and I’m not afraid to use it,” Kouga said.

“Are you serious?” he asked with a laugh.

“Completely. You tried to steal my sister at night when she was weak and we were away. That’s low, even by your standards.”

“You’re a punk, you know that, Kouga? Why did someone like you get promised to Ayame? Why did someone like you find not one, but three shards of the jewel? Why did someone like you get the legendary Gorashi?” Tsume demanded.

So it seemed the grudge wasn’t one sided.

Tsume paused to catch his breath. “You think you’re better than everyone else, but you’re really not. I’ll show you this right now!”

“Shut your trap for a minute and let me explain things in a way your pea brain can understand. You’re jealous that the elder engaged me to Ayame instead of you? Listen, we may have made that promise when we were kids, but that doesn’t mean you can try to force her to like you more than me, and I’ll be damned if you try to just take her from me if she’s chosen me instead! The same goes for Tsuki! To you, she may be a useless girl, but she’s my little sister and I will never trade her to another clan, especially not yours! It’s time you pay up to the men you left behind that day!”

Ayame stood between them before he could charge forward.

“Please, stop! You both lost friends that day. You can try to hide it, but you’ve both changed since then. You both are going through the same thing. So please, stop fighting over these stupid things and just admit you were wrong! The dead don’t hate you; they just want you to understand that it’s okay to be sad!” she said.

“Who told you that?” Tsume asked.

“The dead. I may not be the maiden, but I’m strong enough to hear them. Your men only wanted you to remember them. Fighting with Kouga, taking Tsuki hostage, none of those things would have brought back your men.”

“I know that! They told me so themselves when I took the brat! Creepy thing started talking in their voices and I couldn’t do anything for them!”

So Tsume felt guilt about the whole thing, too.

Punching him seemed a lot less satisfying now

“Tsume, if you want to ease your pain, help us rebuild,” Kouga said.

“Serve under you and that brat? I don’t think so! I’d rather be dead! You only got your status because of a cursed bloodline and an arranged marriage. As far as I’m concerned, you and I are enemies.”

Tsume jumped back as a string of lightning was headed his way.

“Tsume, if you ever come around here again, I won’t hold back! This is my family, you understand?”

“Yeah. I understand. Just you wait; my clan will come back stronger than ever!”

With that, he left.

“Kouga, are you worried?” Ayame asked.

“No. I don’t know how many survived, but their numbers must be small or he wouldn’t have tried to pull that kidnapping by himself. Something else must have happened to his clan other than the raid at the castle.”

“Poor Tsume.”

“I offered him a second chance, Ayame. It’s more than he deserves, but I offered it. Or perhaps you want to tell me that you would rather go with him and be his wife?”

“Absolutely not!” she said.

“Good, because I would have fought for you.”


	68. Letting Go

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The dead pass on.

It was decided that they would hold a ceremony of remembrance for the dead. Well, more like it was decided _for them_ , since apparently, the dead were getting impatient.

The idea was all well and good. The problem was actually getting people to talk about their losses.

Friends.

Family.

Respected figures.

Pain was not something that was shared, much less out loud.

The first to speak out was the Elder. He began by thanking the wolf that scarified himself so that he and the rest of the survivors could escape from the demon-eater. He thanked all those who died trying to protect them.

“Kouga, can you see them?” Ayame asked.

Lights on the surface of the river.

“Yeah, I see them.”

“Those are the souls of the dead,” she said.

Everyone else could see them, too.

The Elder’s strong words created a ripple of whispers.

They kept coming; hundreds maybe even thousands of lights.

He had to let go.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you all. I’m sorry my vengeance was not fulfilled.”

“We don’t hate you, Kouga.”

That voice was coming from Tsuki.

“You don’t?”

“No. You gave it your all. That’s all we could ever ask for. Besides, you’ve got a good thing going in this clan. Don’t waste it. We know you’ll be a good leader to them. Oh, tell the little maiden we’re sorry we were so hard on her before. We had no idea she was a girl.”

“I’ll tell her.”

“Goodbye, Leader.”

It was nearly dawn when the last soul passed over the water.

 “…Aniu?”

He paused. It was faint, but her voice was still…

“Welcome back, Tsuki.”

It was over. Their long ordeal was finally over.


	69. Happier Times

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kouga moves on as well.

Times were much calmer now that he and his small band had settled permanently in the new territory of the Elder.

 

Others occasionally asked about his quest, but most left him alone to do his share of work.

 

He found particular joy in hunting and bringing down pray, even without his shards, he was still good at giving things a good chase.

 

It was mostly peaceful here. It had been a long time since he interacted with a big group of men, but after his scuffles with InuYasha, he  
was prepared for anything that might arise. Usually, he just had to whip out his Goraishi and that shut people up.

 

This new life, this calm feeling. He could get used to this.

 

There was still one thing he had to take care of.


	70. Dance of the Sun and Dance of the Moon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Males and Females have different ways of dancing.

For him, today was a day like any other, but for Tsuki, it was a very important day. Today was the day of her developmental progress test.  
  
Each year, a child would take a basic skill test to determine their strengths and weakness. The elders of the specific tribe would be present to judge them. Since this clan was so big, a lot of elders were present.  
  
Last year, in his clan, Tsuki had taken the boy’s test. This year, she would take the girl’s test, her proper test.  
  
The idea terrified him. If she failed, he and his male-only clan would be to blame.  
  
There were four categories: tracking, hunting, crafting, and dancing.  
  
The boy’s test was tracking, tracking, hunting, fighting, and a foot race.  
  
She’d do okay at tracking and hunting, she’d passed those before, but the more feminine arts...  
  
He could hear the laughter now.  
  
 _“What kind of girl is that?”_  
  
 _“Why is a man here? This is an area for women only!”_  
  
“Go for it, Tsuki!” Hakaku called  
  
“We’re all rooting for you!” Ginta said.  
  
Kouga looked behind him. His friends and remaining men were standing behind him. “What are you guys doing here?”  
  
“We’re here to cheer on our girl, of course!” said one  
  
When Tsuki saw them, she waved at them.  
  
Like he thought, she passed the tracking and hunting parts of the test with no issue. She was the fastest tracker and managed to hunt down the biggest prey compared to the other girls.  
  
Her craft skills on the other hand, were horrible. He couldn’t tell if she tried to make a horse or a giraffe out of the wood she was given.  
The next event would determine her final score.  
  
The wolf clan had two ways of dancing. The Dance of the Sun was for the men and the Dance of the Moon was for the women. The Sun’s dance was fast paced and intense on the body’s limitations, like being caught in a fight to death. It was supposed to show off strength. The Moon’s dance, in contrast, was slower paced, the movements more deliberate and graceful, like a prayer in motion.  
  
Please dance correctly, please dance correctly.  
  
Everyone was silent.  
  
What was she doing?  
  
The way she was dancing was a mix of the Sun dance’s fast pace with the flowing graceful movements of the Moon’s dance.  It was a little strange, but at the same time, she had made the whole thing very fluid. She must have spent a lot of time practicing it.  
  
“Ah, looks like she’s gotten it the way she wanted it.”  
  
“Ayame?” he asked.  
  
“What? You thought I’d miss Tsu-chan’s test?” she asked.  
  
“Did you tell her to dance like that?” he demanded.  
  
“No. I told her to dance from her heart. I just helped her keep it focused.”  
  
“Little one, what was the meaning of such a thing? You are aware that was the rhythm of a warrior’s dance, correct?”  
  
That old lady did not sound happy.  
  
“Yes Ma’m,” she said.  
  
Her voice sounded sweet, but at the same time, she wasn’t backing down.  
  
“Explain yourself!”  
  
“For most of my life, I was raised in the main eastern tribe, the male-only tribe. I was taught to fear nothing and face challenges with all my might. It was only recently that I came to this clan and learned of the feminine arts. My teacher was very kind and patient with my many stupid mistakes. I came to love her like a sister and wanted to emulate that kindness she showed me. That’s why ma’m, I wanted to honor both of my clans, the strong and brave men who raised me and the loving sister who accepted me and allowed me to grow into a more proper girl.”  
  
“That rowdy lot is yours, then?” the old woman asked.  
  
 “Who are you calling rowdy!” one of his men barked.  
  
Kouga smacked him over the head.  “You’re not helping!”  
  
 “Yes Ma’m,” Tsuki said with a smile. “That’s what we do when we get really into competitions! I love ‘em for supporting me anyway!”  
  
Never in his life had he seen a group of grown men turn into complete mush. She had successfully shut them up and given them all big, stupid, prideful grins.  
  
This must be what Ayame meant when she remarked about her “different kind of girlish charm.”  
  
 “Lady Ayame told me about you; who you are, how you used to be; what you’ve overcome. You are indeed a strange case, Tsuki of the main eastern tribe.”  
  
He was going to jump in there.  
  
He was going to jump in there and explain that it was his fault. She’d been raised like a boy.  
  
 “Yet, you seem to have found a balance between your two very distinct upbringings,” the old woman continued. “The elders and I have reached this decision; you have passed your yearly female developmental progress test. You may go back to your rowdy men now.”  
  
Tsuki bowed. “Thank you very much.”  
  
 “Did that make you nervous, Kouga?” Ayame asked.  
  
“I think I would have rather done that stupid Sun Dance in her place.”  
  
“You hate dancing, though,” Ginta remarked.  
  
“Yeah, you said yourself that you suck at it,” Hakaku added.  
  
“Don’t announce that in front of people!” he snapped.  
  
 Ayame smiled. “It looks intense. I watched Tsu-chan do it when she was deciding which dance moves to focus on for her test. I think she made the right choice in the end, though. Strong, but also gentle, that’s the kind of girl she wants to be.  I’m really proud of her; she’s come a long way.”  
  
His eyes were on the group of grown men who were laughing and took turns tussling the girl’s hair in congratulations. These were very same men who shunned her and tried to trade her to another tribe for food.  
  
 Perhaps, he didn’t need to worry about her so much. She’d found balance.


	71. Unity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kouga and Ayame get married.

  
Their wedding was to be held on the annual festival honoring the Moon God. Never mind all of the trouble that selfish God had just caused them, but it was a tradition and for the time being, there’d be hell to pay if he didn’t respect it. Getting married under the watchful eye of the God was supposed to be very lucky for the couple.  
  
Everyone was going to gather for it. With this union, he’d inherit the whole clan.  
  
He was a little nervous about the whole thing, but it seemed like the best option for him, and for everyone else. He couldn’t keep dwelling on the mistakes of the past.  Those souls were clam now, they no longer needed vengeance. He’d come to terms with his own guilt and now, he wanted to move forward. He wanted to help the others who were suffering from loss, too.  
  
But he wasn’t in this for the politics.  
  
No, what he really wanted was the girl.  
  
If anyone objected to their union, they were going to get punched in the face.


	72. First Speech

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kouga makes his first speech as Chief.

“Listen, everyone! The most important thing is…”  
  
Should he really say something like that?  
  
“The most important thing is that we act like a family. It shouldn’t matter what tribe you originally came from, we are now one. It’s the maidens wish.”  
  
He regretted saying the word the moment they left his mouth.  
  
Well, at least it got some people to talk.  
  
“We want to hear it from the maiden herself!”  
  
This was not going well at all.  
  
“Everybody shut up! This kind of thing is exactly what I mean!” Tsuki said.  
  
It was good to hear her voice again.  
  
“I want us to be united as one pack. I’m not saying everyone needs to abandon their own traditions or original tribal furs, but when it matters, really matters, we need to be able to depend on and protect one another like a family would. It doesn’t matter if you were originally from the main clans, sub-clans, or your fur was black or grey. We’re all survivors of our own struggles… we’re all wolf-demons.”  
  
Everyone was silent.  
  
“Please, believe in my Aniu. This man, your new chief, he chased a demon who killed hundreds of us and almost killed him countless times, but he still pushed forward for the sake of his fallen men! For all the fallen! He defied the laws of death to come rescue me, a worthless, weird-talking girl who should have died long ago. To him, I wasn’t the Maiden of the Moon, I was just… his little sister. He even took on our God! He punched him in the face and was able to get away with it!  If you can’t follow someone like him, who will you follow?”  
  
Silence again.  She really knew how to talk to everyone, regardless of gender or tribal affiliation.  
  
How could he top something like that?  
  
Why try to top it at all?  
  
“You heard the little lady. Let’s rebuild ourselves from the ground up. You don’t have to like me, but I’m sure you can all see the sense in the direction we should take. For the prosperous future of the Wolf-Demon Tribe!”  
  
Well that got them to rally around him.  
  
Not bad for his first official speech as the new Chief.  
  


	73. The Old Witch's Eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The old witch has something to say before she dies.

“Takara, why did you call me out like this? I have things I need to do!”  
  
“There are things you should know. You have an interesting destiny before you, Kouga.”  
  
“Like what?  
  
“You’ll have many children. Not right away, of course, but by the time your sister is of marriageable age you will have them. The elder of the sisters will have a very strong will, like your own sister. One will be frail in body but not in mind, and I see the last will be very timid, but she will have someone always by her side, because she will be a twin.”  
  
“Twins huh? I guess it runs in the family.”  
  
“Being in love produces more children, it seems. Rira will have at least one more, too.”  
  
“Why are you telling me this?”  
  
“Moon’s blood runs through your veins as well as your wife’s, because of that, I can see where the line will go, I wanted to tell you these things before I die.”  
  
“You’re dying?”  
  
“I’m old, after all. I was a young woman when your mother was born, and I was there again when her daughter came into the world. My time is drawing near. I can feel it in these old bones.”  
  
“Does the Moon God come back?”  
  
“Yes, but only once, our dear Maiden is due to tell him off shortly after she gets married. There’s punching involved.”  
  
“Good girl. She’ll marry eventually, won’t she?”  
  
“Yes. I can see that she is very happy with him. She’s always smiling in the future I see. It will be a hard struggle, but the tribe accepts her on her own terms. She becomes a powerful warlord.”  
  
“A warlord, huh?”  
  
Kouga turned to leave.  
  
“Kouga. You yourself will be a very respected and wise Leader. Truthfully, I wasn’t happy when Chiyo abandoned her duty for your father, but perhaps fate wanted her to be with him. For it is her children, who will help rebuild us and make us stronger than we ever were alone.”  
 


	74. Growing Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tsuki wants to get her armor and be considered an adult.

“Aniu, when do I get to get my armor?” Tsuki asked.  
  
“When you’re a bit bigger. You’re still too small to be considered an adult,” he answered.  
  
“But Kai-kun was my age when he got his armor!”  
  
“He was a special case. Stop giving me such a long face. You’re not an adult yet!”  
  
“If you keep me behind on purpose I’ll be mad,” she said as she stormed out.  
  
Damn it.  
  
“What’s on your mind, Kouga?” Ayame asked.  
  
“Our kids aren’t allowed to grow past the puppy stage.”  
  
 Ayame laughed. “Good luck with that.”  
  
“Hey, do you think Tsuki’s big enough to get her armor?”  
  
“Big enough or old enough? Because she’s at that age where her friends are going to start getting recognized as adults, but most of them are older than she is by a year or so, and she’s certainly not big enough for adult armor yet. Give her a few more years of puppyhood.”  
  
“How do I make her understand that?”  
  
“I’ll talk to her. She still doesn’t understand that girl’s are built differently than boys are, and the fact that she’s a small girl is going to make this stretch difficult.”  
  
“How big do you think she’ll be as an adult?”  
  
“She’ll probably stay small, but she’ll be strong for her size. She’ll most likely be mistaken for an adolescent well into her adult life.”  
  
“That’ll bug her for sure.”  
  
“A lot of ladies would kill to be mistaken for an adolescent later in life.”  
  
Still, it was hard to imagine his little sister as anything but little. The thought of her one day growing up and changing into a woman’s attire seemed strange and far off.  
  
“I’d say give her two more years. She should be big enough for her armor by then.”  
  
Only two years, huh?


	75. Cheif

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kouga considers himself to be very lucky. (THE END!)

Looking back on it, he was amazed at his luck.  
  
  
He started out as an orphan, then he moved up the ranks to a Leader and now he was the reigning Chief of the largest pack of wolf-demons in their history. He had a wife that loved him and a littler of kids.  
  
He never expected to accomplish so much.  
  
Of course, he hadn’t done it alone.  
  
No, there had always been people helping him along the way, even now he wasn’t the sole Leader of the clan.  The elders still played a large role in the state of the clan.  
  
He’d found a strange ally in Kazuo of the southern tribe.  
  
While he was the superior decision maker, Kazuo kept tabs on all the people. Things he couldn’t possibly keep up with on his own like disputes, births, deaths.  
  
Ginta and Hakaku helped him by looking after his children when he and Ayame were called away. He didn’t even have to ask them anymore.    
  
They’d stuck by him since the beginning.   
  
He offered them an upgrade in their ranks, but they declined.  
  
“We’re not leaders, we’re followers,” they said.  
  
Still, they were highly respected followers.  
  
“Hey, Ayame, have you seen Tsuki?” he asked.  
  
“She ran off early this morning to play with Kai and Shinta before she goes to see the army,” she said.  
  
The others had called him foolish for giving the role of tribal warlord to a little girl, but they shut up once they saw she knew how to win wars. He’d been right to put his faith in her.  
  
He found them playing by the river.  
  
“There you are,” he said.  
  
“Hi, Aniu!” Tsuki said.  
  
“I came to get you. You’ll be late to meet your men.”  
  
“Alright. Bye-bye, Kai-kun! See you later!”  
  
Kai smiled and waved at her as they left.  
  
She walked beside him. It was a lot easier for her to keep up with his pace now.  
  
“Hey, are you ever going to address me properly?” he asked.  
  
She thought for a moment.  
  
“Aniue.”  
  
The response made him stop in his tracks.  
  
“Was that weird?” she asked.  
  
“Coming from you, yeah it was.”  
  
She took his hand.  
  
“Aniu.”  
  
“What?”  
  
“Um, thanks.”  
  
“For what, runt?”  
  
“For… a lot of things.”  
  
“Okay now you’re really starting to weird me out, but you’re welcome.” He paused. “Hey, do you want me to carry you?”  
“I’m not too old for that sort of thing?”  
  
“You’re not an adult yet. Besides, I’m the boss. If I want to tot the Warlord around, I can do that.”  
  
She laughed.  
  
He picked her up and put her on his shoulders.  
  
If what the old witch said was true, he’d have a great many things to worry about in the coming years, but for now he wanted to enjoy the little moments while he still had them.


End file.
